


Love is a Key Ingredient

by SupernaturalLover1994



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Bottom Jensen, Chef Jared, Fluff, Homophobia, M/M, Quiet Jensen, Slow Build, celebrity jared, farmer Jensen, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:22:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 37,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9804317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupernaturalLover1994/pseuds/SupernaturalLover1994
Summary: Jared Padalecki knows everything there is to know about restaurants, more importantly he knows everything there is about cooking. He is a top celebrity chef with countless cook books and even his own show. But when he decides to open a new restaurant in Austin Texas he doesn't expect to meet a quiet farmer named Jensen Ackles. He can't help but fall head over heels in love with the gorgeous green eyed man. The only problem is, Jensen has seen the magazines and he thinks that Jared is an arrogant playboy. Little does he know that that is all a lie and Jared is actually a sweet, beautiful man who has felt pain and sorrow in his life. Jensen just needs to get to know the real man behind the trashy tabloids.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey :) so I know its been awhile since I have written anything, but I've been kind of busy this past year. I hope this makes up for it and that you like it. It was actually someone writing a sweet comment on one of my other works that got me back to writing. Ill try to update this regularly. Comments are love and they keep me going. I hope you like this and thanks for reading :)

Jared Padalecki was no stranger when it came to restaurants. He was in fact somewhat of an expert. Not just in restaurants either, he was an expert in everything to do with cooking. He had baked his first cake when he was just 4 years old, before he could even reach the kitchen counter properly and so he had to stand on a step stool that his father had brought for him. His father, Gerry, had been an excellent chef and he could tell from the moment his son first laid eyes on a perfectly risen soufflé that his son was destined for great culinary things, that his son would share his passion for cooking. He knew because it was the same look that he had when he first saw something as magical as a golden soufflé fresh from the oven. Cooking wasn’t for everyone though. Jared’s mother can’t even boil an egg, heck, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was to discover she can’t even boil the water without the egg. His brother and sister had been the same. Neither of them had shown the slightest bit of interest in cooking. Jared however, had begged his father to teach him everything there was to know about it. He was like a sponge, soaking up all of the information that his father presented him with. It wasn’t long before he was cracking eggs and measuring out flour. Unlike most 4 year olds, Jared didn’t make a mess in the process, not once had he gotten any egg shell into any of the dishes he created with Gerry. 

The first time he worked alone was while baking a cake for his father’s birthday. He had gotten his mother to buy him everything that he would need and while his father was at work he got started on his first ever solo culinary creation. He always felt so relaxed in the kitchen and like nothing could go wrong. Of course at the age of 4 he didn’t really have any worries anyway, but he still felt peaceful while holding the wooden spoon in one hand and the large bowl in the other. Occasionally his mother would poke her head around the door just to make sure that nothing was broken or worse, on fire. Not that she needed to check though. If anyone in his family would have burnt the kitchen down then it would have been her. He could also tell by her face that she wasn’t really worried, it was more out of obligation as a mother. Jared and his mother have never really been that close, they just don't have anything in common, never have and after the incident things were far from easy between them. Sharon is quite a selfish women really. She loves her family but sometimes Jared feels as though she loves herself more. Jared being a chef and now a celebrity, benefits her quite a lot. She had always known he was quite a capable cook, but when she was informed by his teachers that he could in fact make it big as a chef, she suddenly became interested and appointed herself as his manager. He was grateful for her stepping up and becoming interested, but he wanted a mother, not a manager. He couldn’t refuse her though, or say no, not after everything that happened and so he sucked it up and got on with whatever she had planned. 

Following his mother’s advice and going with her decisions is how he finds himself stood in front of his new restaurant in the heart of Austin. He had decided to name it “Gerry’s” after his father. He knew he would have been proud of all that he has achieved. This isn’t Jared’s first restaurant, but this is definitely going to be his favourite. Austin was the town his father had grown up in and he knew that he loved it dearly. The only reason he had moved away was because Sharon wanted to live in Los Angelis and wouldn’t take no for an answer. All of Jared’s other restaurants had a uniform appearance, they were all black, white and grey stone, everything was elegant and modern. They also all served tiny portions on oversized plates. His mother often referred to it as fine dining. She had insisted on the style, saying it was all the rage and what anyone who’s anyone was eating in LA. This restaurant was going to be different though. He wanted to serve real, wholesome food. He also wanted to use the freshest local ingredients he could find. His dad had had a little notebook full of traditional Texan recipes with his own twist, he used to use it when cooking family dinners sometimes. Of course his mother wasn’t so keen on them though as she wanted to keep her air of sophistication intact and BBQ ribs were not something that she considered sophisticated. That notebook was now Jared's and his mother didn’t have a say about it this time, but as long as it was making money she didn’t really care all too much. It wasn’t in LA and so he could do what he wanted to the place as long as he sent her the regular monthly check that had been part of the deal he had agreed to, she got 20% of everything he made, she called it her wages for being his manager, but he knew that denying her would have made his life hell. Of course she didn’t do any of the heavy lifting or well anything at all anymore really, she stopped acting like his manager a few restaurants ago.  
His new restaurant wasn’t yet open, he had started hiring waiting staff and kitchen assistants, but he still needed to find the perfect place to purchase the freshest ingredients in order to make each dish that much better. None of the places he had seen had been what he was looking for, not yet anyway. He had visited some great farms, excellent farms even, but there was always something missing, whether it was the fact that they used too many pesticides or they simply weren’t nice people, there was always something missing. He had one last place nearby to check though, “The Ackles Farm”. It had been recommended to him by his best friend Gen’s boyfriend, Chad. He had recently started working there and he couldn’t speak higher of it. He said he had never worked in a place so great before. According to him the owner is a great guy who only wants to grow the best and freshest of ingredients. Jared had to admit, it sounded kind of perfect. 

. . . . . . . . . . 

Jensen was a man of few words. He was far from stupid and he wasn’t ridiculously shy. He simply didn’t see the need for filling every silence with pointless chit chat. He would say what was needed to be said and that was enough. He had been running his family farm for 2 years with the help of his closest friend Misha. They had known each other since school, they had practically grown up together and when Jensen’s father passed away just over 2 years ago Misha went from simply helping out on the farm during the day, to living on the farm full time. They weren’t together, not in that sense anyway. Misha was like a brother to Jensen, he had been his light in the darkest part of his life and he couldn’t thank him enough for everything he had done for him. His mother couldn’t cope living on the farm, surrounded by memories but without her beloved husband to share them with and so shortly after his death she had moved to Florida to live closer to Jensen’s older brother Josh and little sister Mackenzie. Jensen didn’t resent her for leaving him to deal with everything though, he understood. They had been married for over 30 years, in love for nearly 40 and he knew she was struggling to adjust, a fresh start was what she needed. He just had to carry on with things at home, but with the help from Misha and the newly hired Chad, he knew that he could do it.

The farm was doing well. Farming was all Jensen knew and he was great at it. He avoided using pesticides and made sure to nurture the crops. Misha often, annoyingly, referred to him as the vegetable whisperer, but as long as the man got his work done he could live with the irritating name. He knew his produce was of outstanding quality, he had even won a few awards for things in county fairs and such, but he would never class himself as anything more than a half decent farmer who took care of his crops. He said it’s all down to the land and the weather, he is just lucky enough to have a good piece of land and mostly decent weather, he couldn’t ask for more and he was definitely going to count his blessings. A lot can go wrong in the farming business but for now he wasn’t worried. He even had the prospect of new business from a restaurant that was opening up in the city. He had received a quick and basic email from who he presumed was the owner asking if he could swing by to take a look at the produce and not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, even a slightly rude one, he agreed to their visit and arranged a time that would suit them both. For some reason though Jensen couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he recognised the name from somewhere, Jared Padalecki or something like that, but he just couldn’t remember where he had heard it before.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared pays a visit to Jensen's farm and feels an instant attraction to more than just the vegetables.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has read and commented so far, you have all been so kind and lovely, its really given me a boost to keep writing :) sorry about the small chapters though, I will try to make them longer in the future.

“Hey Jenny, what time does Mr Bigshot get here?”

Mr Bigshot? Misha must have been referring to the restaurant owner coming out today to check the quality of the crops. Jensen still couldn’t shake off the feeling that he recognised the name from somewhere. Maybe he was a bigshot, being a farmer he doesn’t really get out much, but when he does, it’s quite possible that he may have glimpsed the name somewhere before if he is actually a big deal. 

“11:30, it gives us a bit of time to tidy the place up and make it presentable.”

Misha’s face dropped. Jensen couldn’t figure out what was up with his friend, ever since he had informed him about their impending visitor he had been acting strange. Today in particular, he had spent the entire morning so far checking his reflection in every shiny surface he passed and Jensen could have sworn he smelt aftershave on him at breakfast. It couldn’t be for Jared, could it? Everyone knew that Misha was bisexual, he didn’t even try to hide it, he was in his words, a lover and so why shouldn’t he be free to just love everyone, man, women and even beast if he really wanted to. He had even tried it on with Jensen when they had first met in school, but Jensen was a gentleman and informed him that he just wasn’t attracted to the eccentric teenager but would love to be his friend and from then on that is exactly what they have been, friends, even best friends. Unlike Misha, Jensen only aims his affection towards half of the population, the male half. Being gay wasn’t a surprise to him, he didn’t suddenly wake up one day and prefer the sausage instead of the bun. No, Jensen has always been drawn more towards his own gender. Luckily for him his family always seemed to just know and so he didn’t have to go through the awkward process of coming out to them, they also didn’t care who he liked as long as he was happy. 

Unfortunately for him, other than Misha, the only other bisexual or gay men he had come across had ended up being total tools. He often used to visit the gay bars in the city at weekends with hopes of finding his other half but he never succeeded. He thought he had come close a couple of times, one time in particular he was almost certain he had found the right guy. Tristan had been tall, dark and handsome and he seemed like a genuine gentleman. That was until he came onto Misha though and being a good friend, Misha had told Jensen what had happened and how terrible he felt about it. He didn’t need to tell him though, Jensen had seen it with his own eyes. Tristan had sauntered over to Misha, grabbed his ass, whispered in his ear and attempted to kiss him but Misha was having none of it and he pushed the taller man away before running off in the direction of the house. That relationship featured an abrupt ending staring a flying suitcase and underwear blowing away in the wind. It had also finished off Jensen’s adventures in the gay bars. He decided that the right man would come along in their own time and he wasn’t going to go searching for him.

. . . . . . . . . .

Jared had to use his satnav to find “The Ackles Farm”, he’s glad he did as he was sure he would never have found it in a million years. No wonder he hadn’t heard about it before, it was as if it was in the middle of nowhere rather than just 10 minutes away from the city itself. He had lost count of the number of little roads he had had to go down in order to make it to the entrance of the farm. Part of him was more than a little irritated and it was putting a damper on his view of the place before he had even stepped foot on the property. He had to remember he was here for the crops though and he wouldn’t personally be picking them up anyway and so after today there wouldn’t really be any reason for him to return. 

Up ahead he could see a dark haired man in a loose fitting t-shirt and tight jeans walking towards his now parked car. Could this be the owner, Jensen? Grabbing his jacket Jared got out of the car and made his way towards the other man, the man’s hand outstretched ready to greet him. Politely he took the man’s hand in his own and shook it firmly. 

“Firstly I would just like to start by pointing out how ridiculously difficult this place is to find. If it hadn’t have been for my satnav I wouldn’t have gotten here. Sorry but you really need to work on your directions, Jensen.”

The man’s eyes opened slightly in surprise and then they were joined by a slightly amused smirk. 

“Yeah, sorry about that, I am pretty shit when it comes to directions.”

“MISHA! Why didn’t you tell me our guest was here?”

Misha? Jared turned his head in the direction of the shout and when his eyes landed on the tall, strong looking man who was stalking towards them, he could have sworn his heart stopped for a brief moment. He was the most beautiful person, no, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in the entire world and Jared had seen some pretty spectacular sights in his time. He realised then that he must have been staring as the man had an oddly awkward expression on his face. Jared really needed to get himself together, this was business, his business and it was important that he stayed professional, no matter how much he wanted to kiss the man now stood in front of him. 

“Oh, sorry, I, I thought...”

Jensen gestured towards the other man who Jared now knew to be named Misha. 

“That he was me? Yeah, he wishes.”

Snorting, Misha wasted no time in replying. “You would be lucky to look this good.”

A slight laugh escaped Jared at that moment but he masked it well with an awkward cough. Misha wasn’t bad looking but he was nothing compared to Jensen. Jensen was a green eyed god. How is it even fair that his eyes are that green and sparkling? No one has eyes that magnificent. Yet again those eyes were directed at Jared as if he was now expected to say something.

“Right, so, I’m Jared, Jared Padalecki.”

It was as if a light bulb went on in Jensen’s head. Jared Padalecki, of course! He had seen him on magazine covers on more than one occasion. He was, like Misha had referred to him, a bigshot and according to, well everyone, a massive arrogant playboy. Typical. Jensen had felt an immediate attraction towards the extremely tall man, but now that he remembered who he was, that attraction was somewhat dampened by his already fairly well-formed impression. If Jared decided to buy from him though, it could mean big business for the farm and so no matter how rude and irritating Jared would be, he had to be professional and polite and so he stuck out his hand for the man to shake. As soon as their hands touched it was like an electric shot went through him, brushing it off as simply static, Jensen introduced himself properly. 

“Nice to meet you, names Jensen Ackles and this here is my farm.”

. . . . . . . . . . 

It was exactly what Jared was looking for. The place was perfect and the vegetables were the best he had ever tasted. Another good point is that Jensen shared his distaste for pesticides and so not a single chemical had graced the leaves of any of the plants. It was definitely the place for Jared. He didn’t even need to go home and think about it. He also couldn’t resist the knowledge that in a way he would be dealing with Jensen a lot more if he chose his business to supply his restaurant. He happily signed all of the necessary paperwork and arranged for the delivery of his first batch of vegetables for exactly a week’s time. His restaurant was nearly ready and since meeting Jensen, Jared felt like maybe his life would truly change for the better since his move to Austin.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone :) I am really enjoying writing this and I hope you are enjoying reading it. I can already tell that Jared is falling head over heels for Jensen!

Jared couldn’t get the image of Jensen out of his head. His entire ride home was plagued by day dreams of the other man. He had never wanted anyone so badly or so quickly before in his entire life. He knew that considering he had planned to never visit the farm again, he was definitely going to come up with excuses as to why he had to visit Jensen as much as he possibly could. Maybe, since Jensen had now become his produce guy, he could invite him along to the grand opening of “Gerry’s”, it wouldn’t be weird of him if he asked the older man to come, Jensen was now somewhat involved in the business after all.

Like Jared, Jensen also couldn’t stop thinking about their meeting and how he had been instantly attracted to Jared. Unlike Jared, however, Jensen was now incredibly irritated and frustrated. No matter how good looking or charming Jared was, he was not going to fall for it. No siree, not gonna happen, no way. He was not going to fall for the arrogant celebrity chef. He was smarter than that and he had been hurt too much in the past. Jared was often photographed by paparazzi with a stunning women hanging from his arm, rarely was the same women seen twice and so Jared had been firmly named as a playboy. Thinking about it Jared had not once been pictured with a man attached to his hip. Obviously he didn’t bat for the same team as Jensen and so even if he did decide to go there, which he definitely wouldn’t, it would be completely pointless and he would end up making an utter fool out of himself and probably lose himself some great business.

Suddenly Jensen’s phone pinged to announce the arrival of a text message. Speak of the devil. It was none other than the playboy himself, Jared Padalecki. What could he possibly want now? It hadn’t even been 24 hours since he had last seen the man and they had only exchanged numbers for business matters, or so Jensen had assumed anyway.

_“Hey, it’s Jared, I was just wondering, since you are now my produce guy,_

_and well, if you aren’t busy or anything, would you be interested in attending_

_my restaurant opening next week?”_

The restaurant opening? Jensen guessed that could be classed as a business event, but still, it didn’t really read that way. If he was honest with himself it read more like the guy was asking him out on a date. That was ridiculous though. Of course it was just business. He was, like the message had stated, the produce guy and so without him, well, there would be no food and without food, there would be no restaurant. Maybe he should go. He decided to stop thinking about it and just reply.

_“Ok sure, just send me the details.”_

That was easy enough. He would go, schmooze with any potential clients and then leave, not before enjoying some free food though. It could end up being a pretty big deal if he approached it from a professional point of view. No doubt there would be rival restaurant owners there staking out the competition and so Jensen could potentially come away with more customers.

. . . . . . . . . .

Jared was practically fist pumping the air when he read the reply from Jensen. He was going to see him again and soon. Not only that but he was going to see him at a somewhat fancy event and so he may even see him in a suit. Jared was almost drooling at the prospect of seeing Jensen in a suit. Looks weren’t the most important thing to Jared, personality was a big factor to, but he couldn't help himself and so he let his mind imagine Jensen wearing a soft grey suit, he also couldn’t stop himself from imagining the man out of the suit as well. He had only seen Jensen in a plaid button down and jeans, but he could tell that the man was in good shape, how could he not be, what with all of the manual labour he does for a living.

Jared had already wanted the night to be perfect for his new restaurant but now he also wanted to make it perfect for Jensen as well. He wanted to wow the man with not only the food but also with himself. Being a grand opening Jared was expected to turn up with a gorgeous date like he usually did, but that was always something that his mother had arranged. He never really enjoyed the company of his dates. Often they were just after his fame and money and whenever he attempted to strike up an actual meaningful conversation with them, they just weren’t interested or they simply didn’t have anything to add to it. It isn't that Jared doesn't want a relationship because he does. He wants a partner, someone to share his life with and to have a real connection with and being gay meant that the female dates just didn't have a future. When he met Jensen though, he could tell that maybe it could be different with the man. Sure he had thought of him as being the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on, but he could tell it was more than that. The way that he had carried himself with such confidence and yet he had also been somewhat quiet, only saying what needed to be said. Jared could tell that Jensen was a strong man, both physically and mentally. He could tell that he could look after himself and it showed with how successful his business was. Jared was not only attracted to Jensen but he also automatically admired the man. He just wanted to learn more about him and hopefully he would get the chance to really get to know him on a deeper and more meaningful level.

Part of making the night perfect involved making sure he looked as good as possible. He owned a lot of very fine designer suits that he knew suited him well, yet none of them seemed to be the right suit for the night. He wanted something special, something that would accentuate his body just right while also making him look sophisticated and professional. The night definitely called for a new suit and so he wasted no time in making an appointment with his tailor. If anyone could make Jared look his best then it would be Mr Fisher, the finest tailor Jared had ever met and luckily for him, his shop was located not too far away from his new Austin home.

. . . . . . . . . .

“Jared my boy! I was so happy to see your name in my book as my next appointment”.

The elderly man marched directly over to Jared and embraced him in a bone crushing hug. Mr Fisher was definitely not a handshake sort of man. He had known Jared his entire life, he had in fact been Jared’s father’s tailor and so he had been making suits for the Padalecki boys for as long as anyone could remember. Despite the dull throbbing in his ribs caused by the tight embrace, Jared threw his arms around the other man and hugged him just as warmly back. He always enjoyed his visits to the store as not only did Mr Fisher know exactly what he was looking for every time, he was also a small part of Jared’s father as every time he went there he would be told such wonderful stories about himself and his father and his fathers life before he was even born. It was like a lovely trip down memory lane.

Like always Mr Fisher knew exactly what Jared was searching for, even if Jared wasn’t so sure himself. The only bit of information he had been able to provide was that he wanted something perfect for his new restaurant opening, but also that he wanted to look as good as possible in order to make an excellent impression on someone special. Mr Fisher’s eyes had lit up at the last statement. He had wanted Jared to be happy and find someone who he could share his world with for a very long time and so he agreed instantly to make Jared’s suit the finest he had ever created and it was also going to be top priority above all of his other orders. Jared knew he was in good hands with Mr Fisher and so at least one of his worries was now put to rest.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of Jared's restaurant opening finally arrives.

Why had he said yes? Jensen couldn’t think of a worse way to spend his evening than at an awkward restaurant opening run by a man so full of himself he probably carries a mirror around with him wherever he goes. He had asked, well begged, Misha to accompany him but he already had plans. To Jensen’s surprise Misha had asked out Vicky, the local garden centre owner, to dinner and an outdoor movie. He had offered to reschedule in order to help out his friend but Jensen could tell that Misha was excited about his date and he couldn’t ruin it for him, not that he wasn’t extremely tempted by the offer though. He had been dreading tonight from the moment the message containing the details had arrived. He had never been to a fancy function before. The closest he had come to a restaurant opening was when the diner down on 6th street had opened and they had given away free pie with every dinner order. That event had definitely not been advertised as formal and so he didn’t have to worry about whether or not his tie was straight or if he should try ironing his shirt again. Weren’t creases meant to come out during ironing, not get worse? He could swear he never remembered his momma having that problem. 

Normally he could roll out of bed and be ready within 20 minutes and that included a shower and a light breakfast. By the time he was ready for the night it had taken him closer to 2 hours to sort himself out and he had gone through almost every smart item of clothing he owned, which to his surprise, was actually quite a few. He hadn’t realised just how many suit items belonged to him. Maybe he should get dressed up and go out more often, it seemed a waste to own such nice clothes and yet just keep them stuffed into his wardrobe. When he actually built up the courage to check himself out in the mirror he was actually pleasantly surprised. Who knew he could look so good in a suit and tie, he sure as hell didn’t. It wasn’t a designer suit but it definitely fit him well. He had gone for a light grey suit with a somewhat smooth white shirt and a turquoise tie. He had even polished his smart black dress shoes which rarely saw anything other than the inside of their cardboard box. His hair which he normally wore in a slightly scruffy style paired with a somewhat neat stubble, was now sleeked to one side and held with gel and the stubble was none existent after his shave. He was more presentable than he had been in a long time. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t stand out like a saw thumb in the crowd of well to do restaurant visitors. He knew what type of people usually chose to dine at Jared’s many restaurants and he was far from the normal clientele. In preparation for the evening he had taken to googling the chef and his various venues and wasn’t surprised to discover that they were all upper class, fine dining, tiny portion, places. To enter most of them you probably required a reservation made well in advance. Jared may have a reputation as a sleaze, but his food was renowned as being some of the finest in the entire country, possibly even the world and for one night only, Jensen was going to have the opportunity to try it for himself. He couldn’t help feeling a slight level of excitement at the idea of eating such perfection and knowing that it was created using his produce, this didn’t beat out his level of anxiety at the entire event though, but it did help to take the edge off of it slightly. 

. . . . . . . . . . 

Jared was a ball of tightly wound nerves. Of course he had attended countless functions similar to the one he was holding tonight and many of those said functions had in fact been the openings of his own restaurants, but tonight was different. “Gerry’s” was unlike any of his other places. It was special. He had no intention of just opening yet another one of his sleek, modern, sophisticated places. He wanted “Gerry’s” to be a real heart of the community just like his father had been. He wanted people to feel welcome as soon as they stepped through the door. Comfort was also a big part of the feel of the place and families of all shapes and sizes would be greeted with open arms. His mother had always preferred his other places to be children free, stating that customers don’t want to be disturbed by irritating baby babbling while they are trying to have a nice adult meal. Considering she was a mother herself, you would think she would want families to feel included and yet Sharon went out of her way to make it known that Jared’s restaurants were definitely not open to everyone. That was another reason that Jared was thankful his mother was not interested in being a part of his new venture. 

As well as the nerves he felt caused by his restaurant opening, he also felt anxious about seeing Jensen again. It had been a week since he had first laid eyes on the green eyed farmer and he was worried that his emotions may had gotten carried away and clouded his judgement. What if Jensen wasn’t exactly what he remembered and he had made him seem better in his memory, or what if his imagination hadn’t been good enough and Jensen actually was a god and he himself was far from worthy. He definitely believed that the latter was more likely to be true. He doubted that Jensen was anything less than amazing. Jared knew that he wasn’t a bad looking man, he had seen numerous flattering photographs of himself, but he still wasn’t sure if he was good enough or deserved to be loved. He knew what love was, he had seen it many times in his life and yet he had never been lucky enough to receive it. He always felt like an outsider looking in, like tiny Tim watching everyone have their warm, lovely Christmases, while he was outside in the cold. He knew he was a very lucky man and he shouldn’t be greedy, but he would give up everything in a heartbeat if he could just have someone to love and who loved him back in return. He also longed for a family of his own, often dreaming about pushing his daughter on the swing or chasing his son around the park before tickling him in the grass. Being a gay man, he had accepted the notion that maybe he would never get to be a father, but he refused to even consider the idea of being unloved forever. He just needed to find someone who was willing to look past all of the tabloid nonsense and see the real him. He just wanted someone to get to know Jared Padalecki, the man whose eyes still light up at the sight of a well risen soufflé. He hoped that Jensen would be that man.

. . . . . . . . . .

“Hey! Veg whisperer, you sure you don’t need me to hold your hand tonight?”

Jensen knew that Misha was only teasing him but he still didn’t hold back the scowl he shot in his direction or the irritated tone to his voice.

“I. AM. NOT. THE. VEG. WHISPERER!”

Misha couldn’t hold back his laughter at the anger being forcefully directed at him from his friend.

“Sure, sure, whatever you say Jensen, not like I saw you talking to the cauliflowers or anything this morning.”

Jensen was not talking to the cauliflowers, but even if he was, which he wasn’t, at least they would listen and not give him snarky comments. It was at that moment that he noticed Misha’s eyes open slightly wider in surprise. 

“Wow man! You look hot!”

Up until the mention of cauliflowers Jensen had been stood just the other side of the garden wall near the open gate watching as Misha watered the herb garden, but due to his frustration he had stepped away from the wall and now stood with his hands on his hips in the entry way. All of the frustration he had felt at his friends comments had washed away and been replaced by a slightly embarrassed but flattered feeling that was now showing itself in the reddening of his cheeks. 

“Sure you don’t want me to come tonight, because, DAMN would I feel lucky showing you off attached to my arm.”

Misha’s statement was joined by an appreciative whistle that only added to the redness of Jensen’s face. Did he really look that good? He knew that Misha had liked him in high school, but that was years ago and since then he hadn’t really brought up any mention of them getting together. He more than appreciated the compliment though.

“Erm, thanks, I guess. You sure it’s not too much?”

Misha shook his head vigorously as a reply, his way of wordlessly saying no. At least if Misha thought he wasn’t too overdressed then he was probably ok, but then again, Misha has never been one for understated. He turned up to their graduation wearing a suit entirely covered in purple sequins with a gold tie, the teachers should really have been more clear with their definition of smart attire. He knew his friend wouldn’t let him make a fool out of himself though and it was a formal occasion after all and how could he go wrong with a grey suit, if it was too much he could always just remove his jacket or tie. 

. . . . . . . . . .

Mr Fisher had done exactly what he had promised. He had created Jared the most gorgeous suit he had ever seen and to be honest, he didn’t really feel good enough for it or like he deserved such special treatment. The black fabric was so soft it was incredible and not only had he made the jacket and trousers, but he had also made a beautiful silk waistcoat to match. Even the tie had been hand stitched and was crafted from a deep red satin. As soon as Jared finished putting it on, he knew that he would never love another suit as much as he loved that one. It also fitted him perfectly as it had been tailored to his exact measurements. When Jared had paid for his one of a kind outfit he had been blown away, yet again, by Mr Fisher’s generosity, as the man not only made the suit but also gifted him with a magnificent pair of hand engraved silver and gold cufflinks that featured his initials in the centres. The “JP” stood out beautifully in a delicate gold against the stunning polished silver square. He couldn’t hold back his urge to hug the elderly man warmly and promise to treat him to the best meal of his life once the restaurant was open. With a kind and genuine smile, Mr Fisher accepted Jared’s sweet offer of a meal and wished him good luck on his grand opening. 

Jared felt quietly confident in his suit and appreciated each and every one of the admiring stares he gained while wearing it. He didn’t think it made him too big headed if he admitted to himself that he actually did look quite good. That was until he saw Jensen though. His imagination definitely had not done the man justice. His taxi had pulled up to the entrance of the restaurant where a small crowd of people and the press had gathered for the opening. As soon as the smartly dressed man stepped onto the sidewalk more than a few heads turned in his direction to take in the beauty that is Jensen Ackles. Jared had gotten so distracted by Jensen that he had completely stopped paying attention to the interviewer in front of him. It wasn’t until the man cleared his throat in a slightly annoyed way that he remembered where he was and what he was in the middle of.

“Sorry, what was your question again?”

“Are you likely to remain in Austin now that your new restaurant is here or will you be returning to LA soon?”

It was a fairly straight forward question but Jared wasn’t quite sure of the answer. He loved Austin, he always had, but LA is his home and he has a lot of business there. If he had a reason, say a man shaped reason, then he would definitely stay in Austin without a shadow of a doubt. He couldn’t tell the reporter that though, it would open up way to many cans of worms and lead to questions that Jared really didn’t want to answer, such as, does this mean you are gay? How come we have never seen you with a man before? Who is this mystery man? So many questions that, right now, if he was honest, he didn’t know whether he would ever want to answer any of them. His mother knows he is gay and so do his close friends, but his mother had always advised against him going public with it, she said it would be bad for his business and he also felt that part of it was that she was ashamed of her sons sexuality. He couldn’t ignore the fact that Jensen was drop dead gorgeous though and also that he looked somewhat uncomfortable stood too close to the curb and as far away from anyone else as he could get without looking totally ridiculous. Jared answered the question by stating that he wasn’t sure what his plans were yet and then he politely excused himself and made his way over to where Jensen was standing. 

“Hey, I’m glad you could make it.”

Jensen had been beautiful in his work wear but now, in a suit, he was absolutely stunning, it fit him perfectly and hugged him in all of the right places. Jared couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he was wearing a grey suit, it was almost the exact colour of the one he had day dreamed about seeing on the man. He hadn’t dreamt about how the turquoise tie would really make his eyes pop though, that was all reality and said eyes were currently gazing directly at him. 

“Hi, well you invited me and it’s good for business, yano.”

Business, right. Jared should have known better than to get quietly excited. Jensen was hear for business and Jared had a job to do and a part to play. At this point in the night he would normally be schmoozing the press and flaunting whichever women he was currently with. Of course for this night he had chosen to come alone. He wanted this restaurant to be different from all of the rest, he wanted it to be a place where he could escape and hopefully be himself for a change. 

“Right, business, yes. Thanks again for the vegetables, Chad dropped them off this morning and I have made good use of them in tonight’s food. I hope you like it and please, help yourself to a drink when you can.” 

Jensen gave a tight smile in return, he was trying his hardest not to wander his eyes up and down Jared’s body. The black suit he was wearing was working wonders for his physic. Considering his job didn’t really consist of much physical labour, Jensen could tell that he had a strong body that was probably covered in firm, rippling muscles. No doubt he could handle himself in the bedroom. Jensen couldn’t think like that though, this night was going to be awkward enough without him having day dreams about the arrogant chef taking care of him. He needed to stay focussed on business and so he gave a quick nod to Jared and headed off towards the crowd of people he had been attempting to avoid only moments ago. 

Jared couldn’t help but appreciate the way Jensen’s ass looked in his grey trousers or the way his legs were slightly bowed as he walked. Utter perfection. He was however, slightly disappointed by the fact that Jensen was walking away from him and he wasn’t sure how he would go about striking up further conversation with the man. Glancing down at his Rolex watch he noticed that it was about time to officially open the doors to “Gerry’s” and let the people in. Before he cut the ribbon he had to make a speech though, just a typical thank you all for coming, blah blah blah, speech. He already had one written out and prepared for the night, but as he walked over to the microphone set up near the doorway he briefly locked eyes with Jensen and in that moment he decided to scrap his speech all together and to just speak from his heart for a change. He wasn’t going to make a speech as Jared Padalecki, celebrity chef and ladies’ man, no, he was going to make a speech as Jared Padalecki, a man who believes in his restaurant and named it after his father, a man he loved and who inspired him to become a chef through the sheer love of food. 

He cleared his throat as he stepped up to the microphone and suddenly felt a knot of nerves in his chest as every set of eyes turned to look at him. He could do this, it wasn’t his first speech after all.

“Hello everyone. I would like to start off by thanking you all for attending tonight, it really does mean a lot to me to have you all here. As some of you may know, Gerry’s is a very different restaurant from all of my others. This one in particular is very dear to my heart. My father was born in Austin and he loved it more than anywhere else in the world, even when he no longer lived here, he still called it home. As do I. I may live in LA and have other restaurants there, but my heart remains here and it is my heart and soul that I have put into this new restaurant. It’s a very different place compared to my others because with this one I wanted to reflect family and life and everything that my father was. If it wasn’t for him then I wouldn’t be the man I am today. I was 4 years old when I first baked a cake but it was before that cake that my real love affair with food began, I fell in love with cooking when I saw the magic of a perfectly risen soufflé that my father had lovingly created and it was my father who taught me everything he knew. And so it’s only right that I name this restaurant Gerry’s, finally my father can come home. I love you dad and I wish you could be here.”

With his words still ringing in the air, Jared cut the ribbon and opened the doors to a little piece of his real self. After he was finished, the first person his eyes sought out was Jensen and to his surprise, Jensen was also looking at him, a slight smile on his face. It wasn’t long before the older man looked away, but for the brief moment everything was silent and nothing else mattered apart from the 2 of them. Jared hoped more than anything that Jensen had felt it to. 

. . . . . . . . . .

Jensen felt deeply torn. He was attracted to Jared, he couldn’t deny that. He had felt it instantly the first time he had seen the man in the flesh. Yet he was still highly apprehensive and kept his guard firmly up. Sure Jared hadn’t brought a date to the opening and his speech, well, his speech had been from the heart and it was so real. It was nothing like what Jensen had expected. But he still didn’t really know anything about the other man apart from what he had read online and in magazines and that was rarely favourable, sure people loved Jared but not in a warm hearted nice guy kind of way, more in an amazed way and yes Jared was amazing, Jensen couldn’t deny that fact. The man had built himself up from nothing and now had several successful restaurants, however, he felt like maybe, just maybe, there was more to the man than what the magazines suggested. But was Jensen willing to try and discover the real Jared or was it easier and less painful for him if he just left it alone?


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I am really enjoying writing this piece so far, it's so different from my other ones. I hope you like it and it stays interesting. Thanks again for all of your love :)

Jensen had to admit it, he was actually having a pretty good time. The restaurant was far from what he had expected. He had imagined the night was going to be full of people drinking champagne and doing small talk while nibbling on miniscule canapes. Instead everyone was laughing and joking and rather than champagne they were drinking locally sourced beers, ciders and wines. The food was also not ridiculously posh and over the top, sure it was still small portions, but that’s just because it was sample sized for the night. Waiting staff were carrying around trays with little cups full of hand rubbed ribs, sliced up subs and even miniature pies of several varieties and that was only naming a few of the dishes on offer. Everything Jensen had tasted was mouth wateringly brilliant! It also all had a real Texas feel to it. Jared had managed to make the restaurant feel like a place perfect for everyone, even families and that was saying something because everyone knew that Jared’s other places were far from welcoming towards children. It may have only just been opened but Jensen could tell that it was already going to be a real heart of the community. 

Jensen still couldn’t shake the feeling that Jared seemed different. He was acting nothing like the way the magazines had portrayed him. More often than not, Jensen would catch glimpses of Jared helping out the waiting staff or pouring someone a drink behind the bar. He had also made sure to greet everyone warmly as they had stepped over the threshold and into the building. Jensen wasn’t sure, but he had felt as though Jared had held his hand in particular a little longer than what would have been expected as a normal greeting. He had to have been imagining it though. He hardly knew Jared and well, he had a little something extra between his legs that he doubted Jared would appreciate, little may not have been the best word to describe what Jensen had though. On several occasions his ego had received a welcome stroke when men had complimented him on his size. He wasn’t one to brag though.

Jensen wasn’t the only one having a pretty good night. Jared was also enjoying his restaurant opening much more than he had expected to. He had been so nervous about the evening and had spent most of his time stressing out in the kitchen over every little detail from food to cushion covers in the corner booths. He wanted the night to be perfect. It was more than just another business to him, it was a little piece of his heart and it was a place where he could try to feel closer to his father. When the accident happened he had lost almost everyone he loved. His father, his little sister Megan and his older brother Josh. He had been the sole survivor from the catastrophic event. There was only himself and his mother left. He had nearly died to, but his mother had saved his life. She had donated part of her liver in order to keep him breathing. He owed her his life and he guessed that was why he gave her everything she ever wanted. People had often told him that time would heal all wounds and that he would also learn to forget and to simply move on. He had moved on and he had, over time, learnt to forget the pain of the incident, he hadn’t, however, stopped missing the people he loved and so he knew that “Gerry’s” was going to be the most important place he owned. He wasn’t going to put on an act there, he wasn’t trying to impress anyone. He was just going to be the real Jared for a change and he couldn’t wait. He had even gone against his normal ways of taking a date to the opening. If he had then he felt it would have tainted his plan to be himself. Jared had known he was gay since he was 13 years old and he had told his mother when he was 15 and it had been shortly after he turned 16 that he had come home to find that his mother had arranged for him to take the neighbours daughter to the school dance. He knew that she hadn’t been pleased by his revelation regarding his sexuality, but it was then that he realised she just wasn’t going to accept it and she never has. He was 26 years old now though and a successful chef and owner of multiple restaurants and to top it all off he even had his own television show. He was a man, not a boy and so he wasn’t going to let his mother interfere with this place one bit, this was his new beginning in a way and maybe his new beginning could also feature the man of his dreams. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy though and Sharon wasn’t going to like it if he did go public with his sexuality, but then he had to do it if he was ever going to find real love, he had never gone against his mother’s wishes before, but he knew it had to happen sometime if he was truly going to live his life. That thought had been in his mind when he had invited Jensen along to the night and yet he had barely said a handful of words to the man since it had started. He wanted, no, he needed to get to know him more and most importantly he needed to know if there was any chance that he could ever reciprocate his feelings. It would crush him to go so far and then discover that Jensen wasn’t even on his team. 

He saw Jensen standing off to one side, his elbows resting on the surface of the bar, this was his chance. He casually strolled over to the man, his heart beating faster than it should at the sight of the gorgeous man. God he hoped Jensen was gay, he had never felt so strongly towards another person before and he didn’t even really know the other man. Jared decided that rather than starting the conversation off the way he had before, he needed to make it more relaxed and so instead of acknowledging Jensen straight away, he ordered himself a whiskey from the bar, and he couldn’t help but notice that Jensen had also ordered himself a whiskey. Clearly the man had good taste.

To Jared’s surprise it was Jensen who spoke first.

“This place is great, Jared, if I’m honest it wasn’t what I was expecting.”

Jared couldn’t help but find himself intrigued by what Jensen had said. What had the man been expecting to see once he stepped through the door? Maybe he knew what the other restaurants were like and he had just expected yet another fancy clone, but this time in a setting outside of LA.

“Oh, really, what had you been expecting then?”

“Well for starters I was expecting champagne and a whole lot of white interior. I’ve got to admit, I googled your other restaurants and they all seem to be tiny portion fine dining places. But this, well, this is far from that, I mean you have cups of ribs as samples, dude, it’s a pretty sweet place.”

Jared had been reviewed by some of the best critics in the world. His food had been written about in glossy magazines and he had even been interviewed by various big TV networks, but what Jensen just said beat all of them, even with his use of the word dude. He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face.

“Thanks, I’m glad you like it. This place is really important to me and if I’m honest, I don’t really like my other restaurants much, my mom has always picked out the styles, but this place, well this is all me.”

Jensen was now smiling to, he couldn’t help it, Jared’s honesty had brought it out of him. Maybe Jensen should try to get to know the chef more rather than basing his entire impression on what other people write about him. He didn’t seem like a bad guy and sure he had only met him a couple of times but not once had he come across as arrogant. He had always seemed like an honest, genuinely nice guy. It was at that moment that Jared reached for his glass and his fingers brushed lightly against Jensen’s, once again the spark of electricity shot though them, what most people would class as a moment between them, Jensen saw as a way of jolting him back to reality. Jared was known as a playboy and Jensen needed to stay somewhat on guard. He also still didn’t know if Jared was even interested in men, but he was definitely feeling something from the man next to him, he just wasn’t sure exactly what it was. 

“It was a great night, I’m up fairly early tomorrow and well, yeah, I guess I should be going. Goodbye Jared. Thanks for inviting me and I guess I’ll see you around.”

Before Jared could figure out what to say in order to keep the man from leaving, Jensen had already downed his drink and started to walk towards the door. He couldn’t just watch him leave though, he had only just met him and so he found himself walking at a brisk pace after Jensen. He didn’t catch up to him until he was back out on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.

“Jensen, wait.”

Great, he had managed to get the man’s attention, but now what?

“Do you fancy getting a drink sometime?”

A Drink? Was Jared asking him out on a date or was it just a drink as friends, he assumed Jared didn’t really know that many people in Austin since he was knew to the area and so maybe he just wanted a friend. That didn’t stop the butterflies from starting up in his stomach though at the prospect of going for a drink with the younger man. He guessed he could go for a drink in order to try and figure Jared out a bit better, he may have a somewhat well-formed impression of him already, but he was beginning to wonder just how accurate that impression actually was.

“Sure, ok, just text me a time and date.”


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I am so sorry to have kept you waiting for an update, I haven't been very well these passed few days and so I haven't been able to focus on writing anything. This chapter isn't very long but I wanted to write something rather than make you wait even longer. Chapter 7 will be the "maybe date" in full swing and so I am excited to start writing that as I think its going to potentially be really cute, now that I am feeling better the updates should be a lot more regular and hopefully back to one a day or one every 2 days.

It was finally the day that Jensen had been, secretly, counting down to. It was the day that he was going for a drink with Jared Padalecki, celebrity chef and now local restaurant owner. He had tried so hard to not get excited about it. It was after all just a drink between 2, what even were they? Friends? No, they were just 2 people who knew each other through business. It wasn’t a date and he constantly had to remind himself of that fact. He also wasn’t even sure if he liked Jared. Originally he would have said a flat out no to even the idea of Jared being a nice guy, but now that he had met the man, he was really starting to question it and see that maybe, just maybe, he was not such a bad guy after all.

The question mark hanging over Jared’s sexuality and also the matching one hanging over the status of their drinks, combined to make Jensen go into almost full on panic mode while ripping clothes out of his once neat and tidy wardrobe. He didn’t even know what kind of bar they were going to, would it have a dress code? If he wore a shirt and possibly a tie would he be too dressed up? What if they went to a proper country saloon style place where cowboy boots were a must if you wanted to fit in? Of course Jensen owned cowboy boots, he also owned smart shirts and even the odd rock t-shirt, he could quite easily put together an outfit for almost any number of places, but not knowing what type of place left him with a blank. Would it be weird if he just asked Jared? He had planned on driving himself to whichever bar Jared had chosen but the chef had insisted on picking him up from his house on the farm. At the time Jensen hadn’t even thought about how if he didn’t drive he wouldn’t know what bar it would be and so what to wear, that hadn’t even crossed his mind. He had just thought it was sort of sweet that the other man wanted to pick him up, it made it seem even more like an actual date.

Ok, there was nothing he could do other than message Jared and find out where they were going.

_“Hey Jared, its Jensen._

_Just wondering where we are heading tonight as I don’t know the dress code?”_

Jared couldn’t help but smile as he read the text. He may not have known Jensen long but he could picture the furrow between his brows as he had written the text, the frown caused by lack of information and the concentration at typing out the message. It was pretty obvious that Jensen was not a man who favoured technology, Jared had discovered this when they had entered Jensen’s office to sort out the paperwork for the regular orders. There had been stacks of paper everywhere and he even used carbon paper for the order forms.

Rather than replying straight away he decided he needed to know once and for all if Jensen could even potentially be more than just his produce supplier and future friend. He couldn’t ask the man outright, that could ruin everything between them if he ended up being straight and even worse if he had a thing against homosexuals. He couldn’t imagine Jensen has being homophobic or discriminative, but he really didn’t want to risk anything. There was only one person he knew who might be able to shed a light on the rainbow elephant in the room and that person was Gen, his best friend and also the girlfriend of Jensen’s employee Chad. It was perfect, he knew that Gen wouldn’t tell anyone he was interested in the farm owner, she hadn’t told anyone he was gay, not even her family. They had been friends since school, he trusted her completely. Luckily for him she was also working that day and so he only had to step out into the restaurant area in order to have a quiet word with her.

“Hey, Gen, you got a minute?”

“For you, anything, Boss.”

He was constantly telling her to knock off the boss stuff, he may technically be the one employing her, but he thought of his staff as being a team, they were more like family to him than paid employees, he valued every last one of them and he made sure they knew it to.

“Seriously Gen, Boss, really?”

She just smirked at his attempt at avoiding being called the boss, even though that’s exactly what he is.

“What do you want Jared?”

Even though he knew exactly what he wanted to know and even how to ask his friend, he still felt somewhat awkward asking her, but that just made him feel stupid as him and Gen didn’t have any secrets, he even went with her for her bikini waxes. He couldn’t help the heat that was slowly spreading over his face though or the fact that he was more focussed on his shoes than on her.

“Who is he Jared?”

Ok she had to be psychic! How did she know it was about a guy?

“What? How? What? Erm…”

He managed to look her in the eyes then, his shock at her knowing exactly what was wrong making him momentarily forget how embarrassed he was. She was just staring back at him, a knowing expression on her face and her arms folded across her chest.

“God Gen, you know me to well. I just want to know, well since you’re dating Chad and he works at the Ackles farm, if you, well, erm, if you…”

“If I know whether Jensen is gay or not? Well I do for a matter of fact.”

It was as if cheerleaders had started spelling out Gen’s name in celebration in his head. He already knew why he was best friends with her but it was days like this that really emphasised how awesome she really is. But then it dawned on him that she hadn’t actually told him an answer yet. She may be amazing but she is also a terrible tease.

“And?”

He pulled out his best puppy dog eyes. He knew she was helpless to them.

“God Jared, stop with the puppy dog eyes, you know I can’t tease you when you look at me like that. You never let me have any fun. If you must know, which I’m guessing you do. He’s gay.”

Jared wasn’t sure if Gen said anything else as he definitely didn’t hear it if she did. He instead heard fireworks and marching bands. An entire parade was going on inside of his mind and he was happily being swept away by the jubilation. Jensen was on his team! He was glad he had decided on such a beautiful bar for their evening.

_“Hey Jensen._

_Dress Code: something nice.”_

That was all he was going to say to Jensen in regards to their date, because that’s exactly what Jared now classed it as and he wanted the beautiful man to be surprised

. . . . . . . . . . .

Something nice, was that all he was going to get? To some people a sparkly silver tracksuit is nice, well to Misha anyway. He contemplated pressing the matter further but he decided against it. Maybe a smart, black shirt with some nice Black jeans and dress shoes would work, but then again they are going out at night, did he really want to wear so much black? In the end he settled for his black jeans, the dress shoes he had worn for the restaurant opening and a silky emerald green shirt with the top 2 buttons undone. He classed the outfit as something nice but he also liked how it wasn’t too dressy but it was more than just casual. If it was a date then he felt he looked good and the green made his eyes stand out, but if it wasn’t a date then he could pass it off as just dressing for a standard night at a bar with any old friend. He was definitely beginning to lean more towards the side of hoping it was a date though. He was finding it more and more difficult to deny his attraction towards Jared.

It was 8 on the dot that he heard his doorbell ring and at first he rushed towards the door, but then, not wanting to appear too eager, he hesitated a few steps away from the door and took a few deep breaths to help slow his heart that was now beating so fast he was sure it could potentially pop right out of his chest. He had to remind himself, once again, that it might not be a date. When he finally opened the door though he was greeted with something that felt extremely date like. Jared was stood on the porch, one hand in his pocket and the other running through his thick, luscious brown hair. He too was wearing a gorgeous pair of black jeans that hugged the curves of his ass perfectly and a smart shirt, his shirt however was a stunning shade of blue. He was breath-taking and Jensen had to take a moment in order to collect himself and actually step out of his house. It seemed that Jared also had to find his balance after laying eyes on the older man.

“Jensen, you look beautiful.”

Beautiful? Now that definitely isn’t something a straight man says to his friend.

“Thanks, so do you.”

And that isn’t an answer the friend gives back.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for Jared and Jensen's date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone :) I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. As its Jensen's Birthday today it has worked out quite nicely for the story.

Jensen still wasn’t sure exactly who Jared preferred to share his bed with but he was getting the feeling that maybe he did have a chance with the tall, dashingly handsome chef. He had said he looked beautiful after all. Jared had also made sure to hold the door open for him before going around to the other side of the car and climbing in himself. Surprisingly Jared wasn’t driving for the evening, instead he had hired a chauffeur to drive them around in a sleek, black Mercedes. Jensen may have his own business that is far from bankruptcy but he definitely couldn’t afford to just splash out on luxuries for the sake of it. He also didn’t really feel the need for fancy things, but he definitely appreciated the gesture. 

“This is amazing Jared.”

Jensen felt his heart skip a beat when he looked up at Jared and saw that he had a huge smile on his face complete with dimples. He could tell that the younger man was feeling quite pleased with himself. Jensen couldn’t hold back any longer though, he needed to know where he stood before he tore down his defences and potentially let the other man into his heart, he couldn’t get hurt again, he wouldn’t let himself feel the pain of it. 

“Why have you gone to so much effort? I thought you just wanted to go for a drink and, well, it’s just me.”

What Jared did and said next took Jensen by surprise, it completely knocked him off kilter. Jared shifted in his seat slightly so that he was turned more towards Jensen, or as well as he could be with a seat belt restricting his movements and ever so gently he reached over and rested his hand on top of one of Jensen’s. The look that was on his face was so kind and so earnest it nearly made Jensen melt. 

“Firstly it’s no effort, I wanted to do something nice, secondly a drink can be amazing if you do it right and thirdly, Jensen, is because it’s you.”

Jensen was now speechless and red in the face. He also felt as though his jaw may have dropped so much it now rested in his lap. Jared wanted the night to be special because it was with him. He had tried so hard to shield himself from men who could hurt him, from men like Jared, well who he thought Jared was like anyway. In the past he had only seemed to attract arrogant playboys and he thought that Jared was just that, but he was truly beginning to see a different side to the man sat beside him. Had he been a fool to judge him so harshly and so quickly? Jensen hated how people stereotyped gay men and how he had been so often told that he wasn’t what people were expecting, they had been expecting a feminine man who could be their gay best friend and when they were faced with Jensen, well they weren’t happy. How was he any different to those judgemental people though? He felt like a hypocrite, he had Judged a book by its cover, he had judged Jared based on the medias impression rather than making his own. How could he apologise to Jared without sounding like either a total dick or a creepy weirdo? 

“Jared, I’m sorry.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything at all. Jared’s face had fallen as soon as the word sorry had left Jensen’s lips. His hand was even rubbing at the back of his neck and he had shifted back to how he originally had been sitting.

“No, please don’t apologise, I understand, we can just go back and I’ll leave you alone.”

The man looked as though he was crushed and potentially even holding back tears and then it hit Jensen, Jared must have heard his apology as his way of a rejection, but it was definitely not that. He needed to make the man understand, to make him realise that he was sorry for judging him so quickly without knowing him. He definitely wanted to continue with the night though.

“Jared, no, I didn’t mean it like that, I don’t want to go back, please can we stay out?”

He didn’t really celebrate his birthday, other than his family nobody knew when it was, not even Misha, but for some reason he felt like if he told Jared then maybe it could help to keep the man from leaving, even if only for the night.

“It’s my birthday and well, I want to spend it with you.”

Jared was back to being an excited, happy puppy again, but this time it did have an edge of confusion to it.

“It’s your birthday, why didn’t you tell me? But, wait, why did you apologise if you don’t want to leave?”

Jensen had no choice but to just explain how ridiculous he was to the attractive man sat next to him. Why couldn’t he have just kept quiet and lived with the guilt, it probably wouldn’t have been that bad.

“Well, erm, I said sorry because, well because I am a terrible person.”

Rather than interrupting, Jared simply sat quietly watching Jensen with a somewhat concerned expression.

“I judged you without even meeting you. I listened to what the media said about you and automatically took it as being fact. I thought you were an arrogant playboy who didn’t care about anything other than yourself and, well, I may still not know you that well, but I am starting to see that I was entirely wrong about you and so I’m sorry.” 

What could Jared say to that? It wasn’t the first time that people had preconceived notions about his character and if he was being honest, then he wasn’t surprised that people saw him the way that they did. He was often photographed with a different women on his arm and other than night outs and interviews about his restaurants he didn’t really interact with paparazzi and magazines much. People see him as a partier and a playboy because they are the only images they see of him, but if people really tried to research him they probably wouldn’t find much out about his actual life. Considering he is classed as a celebrity he is actually a very private person and so only the people close to him really know the real him. Then it hit him, the perfect way to start a fresh between them and stop the beautiful man from worrying, even if the expression of concern and regret did make him frown in the most adorable way. 

Jared extended his left hand out towards Jensen in order to initiate a hand shake. Not really knowing what else to do, Jensen took the extended hand and shook it somewhat awkwardly. 

“Hi, I’m Jared, I’m a chef who’s recently moved to the area, I love dogs and I actually have one of my own, she’s my best friend and she’s called Sadie, after the Beatles song Sexy Sadie. I’m also gay by the way but the magazines don’t know that. It’s nice to meet you.”

It was perfect. Jensen felt instantly at ease and he even found himself smiling, not only had he discovered once and for all that Jared is gay, but he had been gifted with a brief insight into the other man’s world. 

“Nice to meet you to Jared, I’m Jensen, my birthday is the 1st March and I live on a farm and have done all my life and I too am gay but unlike you, the magazines don’t really care.”

The last line made them both chuckle. After their re-meeting they felt completely comfortable with one and other. It was as if they had known each other their entire lives. They even found the edges of their hands touching every now and again, but neither of them minded, they also didn’t mind when their knees occasionally bumped together. Their conversation was flowing and neither of the men wanted it to end, but it had felt like they had been driving for quite a while and Jensen was beginning to wonder where exactly they were going, it couldn’t have been somewhere in Austin or they would have arrived already.

“Not that I’m not enjoying our conversation because I am, but, where exactly are we going anyway?”

As if on cue the driver pulled the car off of the road and into a dimly lit carpark. If Jensen hadn’t felt safe with Jared and also if he hadn’t known he could defend himself, then he would have definitely have felt uncomfortable with their new location, but instead he found himself feeling somewhat intrigued. 

“Let me show you.”

With that Jared got out of the car and walked around to Jensen’s side to open his door and offer him his hand. After a quick word to their driver, Jared led Jensen to a pebble path leading away from the carpark and into the trees,

“If I had known it was your birthday then I would have planned something better. I have to confess though, I asked Chad’s girlfriend Gen, who happens to be my other best friend, next to Sadie, if you were gay. It would have been a really awkward night if I had arranged all of this and then discovered that you were a straight man who just thought we were going for a beer somewhere. I hope this is ok though and that I’m not being to forward, I just, like you I guess.”

By the time Jared had finished speaking they had stepped out into a clearing and it was beautiful. Jensen would have reacted more to Jared saying that he likes him but he was to speechless. Jared had told him that a drink could be amazing if it was done right, but he had never expected anything quite like this. Jared was right, if he had been straight and not interested then this would definitely be the most awkward drink of all time, but as he’s not and he likes Jared to, well then it’s the most wonderful drink he has ever been to. He wondered if Jared had had help with the set up or had he got all of this ready and just left it here with hopes that no one would come along and disturb it. There was a thick silver grey blanket spread out on the grass at the edge of the most magical lake reflecting the perfectly rounded moon. Resting besides the blanket was a sturdy wooden chest, the contents a mystery to the older man. There were also some plush cushions on top of the blanket. It all looked so inviting.

“Wow, Jared, this is amazing, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful before.”

Jared couldn’t help but watch as Jensen’s eyes lit up while taking in their surroundings and the little set up that Jared had prepared earlier for them. He knew it was a beautiful location, it was one of his favourites, his father used to take him fishing there when they came back to visit his, now long dead, grandparents. In the summer he would catch fireflies with his sister while his brother helped to set up the tent. The lake was so clear that at night it reflected the sky as if it was a mirror. Everything seemed so peaceful there. He wanted to share it with Jensen, but at that moment he had to disagree with the other man, because, with the way the moonlight lit up Jensen’s face and how his smile was so warm and amazed, the scenery was no longer the most beautiful thing there, instead Jensen was. 

“Shall we sit down?”

Jensen only nodded in response, the stars reflecting in his eyes even brighter as they entered deeper into the clearing. Jared only relinquished the other man’s hand once he had reached the blanket. It was now time for Jensen to discover what was in the waiting chest as Jared, instead of sitting down himself, knelt down in front of it and slowly lifted the lid. Inside was a variety of drinks, some chocolates and another blanket, this one was furry and looked incredibly soft and warm. Taking note of Jensen’s expression of interest in the blanket, Jared got it out and laid it to one side for just a moment.

“Is red wine ok? I thought it would be the best option since it doesn’t need to be chilled.”

“Red wine would be great, thanks.”

Jared got out 2 glasses and firstly poured a glass for Jensen and handed it to the man and then poured himself a glass. He also retrieved a box of assorted chocolates and placed them next to the furry blanket. He was nearly all set, just one final touch. He closed the chest and placed his phone on top with a previously created playlist open, with one touch of a button, Just Breath by Pearl Jam started to filter through the air. It was one of his favourite songs. Now everything was set and he could try to just relax and enjoy his time with Jensen. He settled down on the blanket, his long legs outstretched. As it was starting to cool down a bit he carefully covered them both with the spare blanket and then rested the now open chocolates on his legs. 

“No one has ever done anything like this for me before, it’s wonderful, thank you Jared. I like you to, I guess.”

Now Jared felt it was perfect and he couldn’t help but smile and edge slightly closer to the older man, his hand resting in Jensen’s. He knew they still needed to get to know one and other more and it wouldn’t all be sunshine and daisies, or well, moonlight and blankets in this case, but for now he had hope and he wasn’t going to let anything ruin that, not the press and certainly not his mother. 

“Happy Birthday Jensen.”


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend :) I'm in quite a good mood right now as I have not only been able to write another chapter but I have also finished my first ever embroidery which I have been working on almost constantly for 5 days. I hope you like this chapter, I have a feeling this is going to be a long fic as I am literally making it up as I go along and I don't have a specific length in mind, right now anything could happen and in a way I quite like that.

It had been 3 days since Jared and Jensen had gone on their date and 3 days since they had seen each other. Jensen couldn’t think of what could have possibly gone wrong. It had been the most perfect night of his entire life. No one had ever treated him the way that Jared had that night by the lake. They had lain side by side on the blanket, gazing out over the crystal waters and simply talked. They talked about anything and everything for hours, though to them, well to Jensen anyway, it hadn’t felt nearly long enough. As the sun had started to rise to announce the arrival of morning, Jared had packed up the stuff and led Jensen back to the waiting car. They both felt a little bad for Brad, the chauffeur, he had been left all night waiting in the car for them. Luckily he had the radio and it appeared as though he had at least gotten an hour or so sleep in the back seats. Jensen had been dropped off home first and Jared had made sure to, yet again, open his door for him. He had then proceeded to walk the older man straight up to his front door. If Jensen was being honest, it all felt a tad cliché, but he really didn’t mind. He also didn’t mind when Jared had gently cupped his face with his large hand and drawn their lips together into a slow, but meaningful kiss. It really had felt entirely perfect, but now Jensen was overthinking every last detail of their time together. Had he been to forward or maybe not eager enough, maybe he had forgotten to say thank you. Of course he had said thank you, his momma raised a polite gentleman. God why hadn’t he heard anything? It hadn’t occurred to him though that maybe, just maybe, he could be the one to make the next move. Maybe Jared was also panicking and over thinking everything because he had yet to hear anything.

. . . . . . . . . .

“God Gen! What should I do? I haven’t heard anything from Jensen and it’s been 3 days!”

The women looked as though she was contemplating things for a moment before she finally opened her mouth to reply.

“Maybe he just didn’t have a good time or…”

That was it, Jared didn’t hear another word, he was slowly coming apart at the seams. Gen had just spoken his worst fear out loud. What if she was right and Jensen hadn’t had a good time. Maybe he was only humouring him and as soon as he had gotten through his front door he had washed his mouth out with bleach in order to cleanse himself of their kiss. Oh god what if he did and now he’s died from bleach poisoning and even though he intended on letting Jared down gently, he now couldn’t because he was dead! Dead! Jensen was dead and now Jared’s destined to be alone forever, all thanks to a bad date and a bottle of bleach! In a state Jared found himself running past Gen and into the cleaning supply closet, he had to get rid of all of the bleach now, he didn’t quite no why but he felt like it just had to go.

“Jared, wow, buddy, stop! What are you even doing?”

It took Gen physically shaking Jared in order to bring the man back to his senses.

“I was getting rid of the bleach.”

“Ye I can see that, but why?”

Now that he had taken a moment to calm down, he realised how stupid he was being. 

“Erm, I, well…I had a crazy thought that Jensen washed his mouth out with bleach after I kissed him and now he’s dead and so that’s why I haven’t heard anything and so I felt like I had to get rid of the bleach because, well, just because.”

Jared was rambling and he could feel his anxiety starting to spike again, it wasn’t helped by the fact that Gen had started to laugh at her panic filled best friend.

“Did you not hear my other reason for why you haven’t heard anything? Also, you kissed him? Ok you have to tell me about that bit, like, damn, Jensen is hot!”

There had been another? If Jared was being honest he had sort of zoned out of what Gen had been saying.

“You had another theory?”

Gen had stopped laughing but a small, sympathetic smile still remained on her face.

“Yes Jared, I had another, much more realistic, idea. I said, have you considered the fact that maybe he is waiting to hear off of you? Maybe he is also panicking right now because,  
like you, he hasn’t heard anything for 3 days and don’t ignore me when I ask for kissing details!”

Jared fully intended to ignore Gen’s request to hear about the kiss. It was between him and Jensen, but he had to admit, she wasn’t wrong about him being hot though. Jared hadn’t  
thought to contact Jensen. He didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to him though. He really wanted to see the farmer again but he had been waiting for Jensen to make the next move, maybe Jensen had been waiting for Jared. He knew exactly what to do next.

. . . . . . . . . .

It was the doorbell that pulled Jensen out of his thoughts. He couldn’t help but feel a little excited at the idea that maybe it was Jared the other side of his door. His excitement quickly turned to confusion when he saw that it wasn’t Jared at the door, but instead a delivery man holding an enormous bouquet of wild flowers. They were beautiful and their scents were filling the air around them. There was also a card poking just out of the top of the bunch, his name written elegantly on the envelope. 

"My dearest Jensen,  
I hope you like these flowers, I personally think that  
wild flowers are more beautiful than roses. They always make  
a place that much more breath-taking, in that way, they are just like you.  
Thank you for such a lovely night.  
I hope to see you again soon.  
Your Jared.  
X"

If it was possible for a smile to split a face in 2 then Jansen’s face would definitely be broken after reading such a lovely card. The fact that it was signed ‘Your Jared’ alone made his heart race. Jared thought that he was beautiful as well. He would have been more than happy with roses but wild flowers were by far superior. Like Jared had written, they always make a place that much more breath-taking. To think, Jensen had been seriously worried that he had messed up in some way. He couldn’t wait to see Jared again, he contemplated giving him a call or sending him a text, but neither option seemed good enough. He needed to thank the gorgeous chef in person. Before he knew it, he was in his car and on the road.

. . . . . . . . . .

Jared had successfully avoided Gen’s constant bombardment of questions in regards to his kiss with Jensen and luckily for him her shift finished an hour ago and she had plans with Chad, so no matter how much she wanted to stick around in order to hear more gossip, she had to leave. She wasn’t happy about it though. Jared would have been happy to just sit in his office doing paperwork, but sadly, well in terms of business it wasn’t sad at all, the restaurant was almost fully booked for the night and so he now found himself dressed in chef’s whites and running the kitchen. It was busy days like this that he was thankful for his sous chefs, without them he just couldn’t do it. 

“Brad that sauce needs more seasoning.”

“Yes chef.”

“Susie, table six wants their steak well done remember, I know it’s annoying but you’ve got to do what the customer wants.”

“Yes chef.”

“Grace, well, that soufflé is just perfect, proud of you kid.”

“Thanks Jar...I mean chef.”

Grace was the youngest of his kitchen team and she was new to the world of restaurants, but she sure could cook. It was her spirit and her shear love of cooking that landed her the job and not once had Jared regretted his decision to hire her. He had even taken her under his wing because he knows potential when he sees it. It’s what his father had done for him. Grace was not only a great cook but she was also great with people and so she often brought the food she had made out to the customers herself, Jared was happy for her to do this as it meant she could get feedback from them. It was while she was taking the soufflé out that she bumped into Jensen.

“Hey kid! Jared in?”

This was the first time that Grace had ever met Jensen and his stunning good looks threw her off a bit and so without thinking she accidentally let go of her soufflé and it went crashing to the floor at her feet, the sound of smashing china drawing plenty of stares from both customers and waiting staff. It was the sound of the china that also drew Jared’s attention to the scene.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry I didn’t meant to startle you little lady.”

The panic rising in Jensen had brought out the twang of a Texas drawl to his voice and this only added to Grace’s awkwardness, her cheeks flushing bright red. Jared got over to them just in time to see Jensen attempt to try and sooth the girls awkward embarrassment, while also attempting to scrape smeared soufflé off of the restaurant carpet. He would have been more concerned by the mess had he not been surprised by Jensen’s presence. 

“Jensen, what are you doing here?”

Clearly Jensen had been so focussed on rectifying the situation that he hadn’t noticed Jared approaching and so the shock of his voice caused the older man to drop what he had managed to recover of the broken china. In an awkward scramble to catch the pieces he managed to slice one of his fingers on the edge of part of the broken serving dish. 

“Shit!”

Jared instantly shot into action. He gestured for one of the nearby waiters to get a broom and a scrubbing brush to sort out the mess on the floor and he also instructed Grace to head back into the kitchen in order to whip up a fresh soufflé for the waiting customer. He was going to take care of Jensen while his staff took care of his restaurant. Smiling calmly at the older man he helped him to his feet and into his office at the back of the kitchen. He knew that in there they wouldn’t be disturbed if the door was closed and it was far enough away from the restaurant that the noise wouldn’t drown them out. 

“I’m sorry about the soufflé.”

Jensen looked like he felt genuinely terrible about what had happened, even though it was just an accident. It wasn’t the first piece of smashed dinnerware Jared had experienced and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, it’s just something that happens from time to time and there is no point in stressing out about it.

“Hey, Jensen, don’t worry about it, seriously, it’s no big deal. I just want to make sure you’re ok, here, let me see your finger.”

Jensen obediently lifted his hand to reveal a small slice at the tip of his index finger, it wasn’t deep enough that it would require stiches but it was still going to sting for a few days. Being a chef Jared had dealt with a fair few cuts in his time, his own and other peoples and so he knew exactly what to do. He pulled out the first aid box from his draw and went to work cleaning and dressing the wound. It wasn’t until he placed a gently kiss to the wrapped up finger that either of them said anything else.

“Thanks for the flowers and, erm, my finger.”

Jared had never been thanked for a person’s finger before and he couldn’t hide the amused smirk that appeared on his face.

“You’re welcome in terms of the flowers, but the finger, well, you should really thank your parents for that, I didn’t make it, I just looked after it.”

That got both of them laughing then and it wasn’t long before they were lounging next to each other on the sofa in Jared’s office, their fingers entwined on the back of it. 

“The other night was great Jared. I’d love to cook you dinner sometime. It won’t be anywhere near your stan…”

Jared cut him off by placing one of his long fingers to the man’s lips. Just because he’s a chef doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy other people cooking for him from time to time, he would be happy with anything Jensen made, even if it was just mac and cheese from a packet. 

“Dinner would be perfect Jensen, thank you.”

And with that he removed his finger and replaced it with his lips.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too happy with this chapter, I feel like it has something missing, but I didn't want to keep people waiting too long for an update and so maybe this could be just a filler chapter. I hope you enjoy it though and thank you again for reading and for all of the lovely comments, they really brighten up my days :)

Crap! What had he been thinking inviting Jared, an extremely talented and qualified chef, around to his house for dinner? Oh yeah, that’s right, he hadn’t been thinking. He was such an idiot. He may have only tasted some sample dishes that Jared and his team at the restaurant had created, but even those were to die for, Jensen couldn’t make anything nearly as good as that. He was doomed before he had even figured out what he was going to cook. 

He needed to snap out of his downhill spiral of dread though. He wasn’t going to just un-invite the man. He really wanted to see him again and if he hadn’t been a chef then cooking for Jared wouldn’t even be an issue. Jensen isn’t a bad cook, not by a long shot. His mom had taught him how to cook so that she could sleep peacefully in Florida knowing that, in her words, her precious little angel wasn’t starving to death. She had started off with the basics, like boiling an egg and heating up beans and by the time she had finished he could quite easily grill up a decent steak and even make a white chocolate and raspberry mousse for after. Before he had met Jared he would have said he was pretty decent in the kitchen, now though, he highly doubted his abilities. Part of him was tempted to just go out and buy them dinner, but he had said he was going to cook and so that idea was out. 

After a long while of just sitting out on the patio with a beer and his own thoughts as company, he decided that he should keep it simple and just cook some nice steaks with a variety of trimmings. He knew he couldn’t go wrong. After looking in his fridge though, he realised that he hadn’t actually been to the store in god knows how long. How had he been living for the past week with nothing in the house? Then he noticed the stack of pizza boxes next to the recycling bin, thankfully his job is highly physical and he was blessed with a good metabolism. He was in desperate need of something green though. So, what was originally going to be a simple trip out to buy some steaks ended up requiring a fairly extensive shopping list. It was while he was working on his list that Misha came strolling into the kitchen, his boots trailing mud through the once clean house. 

“God damn it Misha! Seriously!”

It took Jensen’s raised voice and a gesture towards the floor for Misha to even notice what he had done. Even when he did he simply shrugged it off as no big deal.

“Heh, what can I do, guess it was muddier in the field than I expected.”

“Clean it up! That’s what you can do. Why I put up with you, I’ll never know.”

After taking his boots off and leaving them, annoyingly, in the sink, he plodded over to where Jensen was in just his socks.

“You going shopping? If you are, grab me some Mentos and coke, for a, for a friend.”

Jensen was certainly not going to get Misha his requested items. Last time the man had been armed with the 2 lethal ingredients their kitchen had been sticky for a week, even now Jensen still found the odd place covered in an icky brown residue. 

“Friend my ass! Plus, you want anything then you can get it yourself.”

“Ok I will, just let me grab my coat and I’ll meet you out in your trunk in 5.”

And with that, Misha was gone. His boots and the muddy trail the only signs that he had even been there in the first place. Jensen didn’t love shopping but he had been quietly looking forward to a calm trip to the supermarket, just him, his list and a trolley. It would have been a nice break from the farm and his own thoughts. Now though, he knows it’s going to be a highly stressful experience. Considering Misha is the eldest of the 2 men, he is far from mature. Some people would say he is in his second childhood, maybe even third if they really know him, but Jensen has a sneaking suspicion that he has yet to leave his first. He isn’t a simple man, he is actually highly intelligent and an amazing conversationalist, he even regularly keeps up with politics and other key events that take place around the world. But that doesn’t stop him from being an eccentric maniac though. He seems to have a never ending supply of energy and sure he does have a tendency to brighten up a room and his smile can be infectious, but Jensen often feels more like his tired parent than his friend and employer. If only the baby seats in trolleys were big enough for grown men. 

True to his word, Misha was out and waiting in the truck 5 minutes later, his pink hoodie unzipped to reveal a t-shirt with a cartoon lion head on the chest. He doesn’t even dress his age. Jensen just rolled his eyes and shook his head at the other man. He wasn’t irritated by Misha, he wasn’t even annoyed about the mud anymore, he wasn’t going to tell Misha that though. Jensen loves the crazy older man like he is family, it seems that Misha had managed to crawl his way into the younger man’s heart and set up residence there. Jensen isn’t too good with emotions though and so he tends to come across as a bit of a grump. The people who know him know that his heart is actually bigger than most and underneath his hard exterior is actually a caring, warm hearted gentleman. Maybe that’s why, no matter how much he tries to act like an old fart, people still seem to treat him with nothing but love. 

Once they reached the store and the engine had been turned off, Misha jumped out of the car and raced towards the trolleys, intent on manning it for the entire trip. That didn’t last long though. Almost as soon as he had pushed it through the doors something caught his eye and he abandoned the trolley to go and further inspect whatever it was that had interested him. Jensen should have realised that he was going to end up pushing it. Misha eventually returned to the trolley with an armful of unexpected items. 

“What the hell do you need all that for Misha?”

Misha deposited his armful of things into the empty trolley. His future purchases consisted of; heart shaped sugar cookies, instant hot chocolate, a spotty rainbow mug, vanilla face masks and a mini mouse blanket. If Jensen hadn’t known any better he would have thought that Misha was actually a teenage girl. 

“They’re for Vicky, she’s got a cold and so I want to make her a care package.”

Wow, Jensen had never seen Misha like this before. He had thought they had only gone on the one date and he hadn’t gotten around to asking the man how it had gone. Judging by the care package it had gone extremely well though.

“You really like her, don’t you?”

Misha just ducked his head and nodded shyly in response to the question. Jensen couldn’t hide the smile that crept onto his face. He was really happy for his friend. He deserves to find someone special and maybe Vicky is that someone. Jensen couldn’t stop his mind from wondering to Jared, maybe he also deserved to be happy and to find someone special and maybe Jared could be his someone special. 

The rest of the shopping trip actually went a lot smoother than Jensen had expected it to go. He managed to find some amazing rump steaks that would be perfect for his date, his mouth almost watered at the sight of them. He also picked up some large potatoes, barbeque sauce, a fresh crusty loaf, some onion rings and a variety of other items that they desperately needed. Even though his fridge had been shockingly low, he had surprisingly already got all of the required ingredients to make a mousse with raspberry compote. The other ingredients he needed he could just pick fresh on his farm. It wasn’t until he got to the wine aisle that he had any problems. Sure he likes wine, but he doesn’t know what goes with what and Misha was absolutely no help. Would it be rude if he asked Jared to bring a bottle with him? In the end he decided to just buy a variety, that way he felt as though he couldn’t go wrong, he purchased a dry white, a sweet white, a red and a rose. One of them had to go with beef, surely. 

An hour and a half later they were back home and the shopping was nearly completely put away. Jensen mentally ticked off the items he needed for dinner in his head. He was almost all set, he just needed to go outside and pick some fresh tomatoes, grab a lettuce, a cucumber, and some mushrooms. He would have loved to use his own potatoes for his fries but they weren’t quite ready yet and so store brought ones would have to do. Jared wasn’t due to arrive until 6 and so that gave him just over 4 hours to sort everything out and make himself and the house presentable. Annoyingly Misha seemed to vanish almost at the exact moment they had gotten home and so if Jensen wanted the house clean then he would have to do it himself, that included getting rid of the Misha mud. 

It took him nearly an hour to clean the floors and tidy up a few odds and ends but once he was done, the house looked 100 times better than it had done before. He now just had to decide what to do next, should he focus on making himself presentable or start the preparations for dinner. It was much too early to start cooking but he could always season the meat and prepare the salad. Most people probably would have just sat down for a little while and given themselves a break, but Jensen isn’t most people, he was too full of nervous energy to just sit still. He had to keep moving and so he decided to relocate the dining table out through the double doors and onto the patio, it’s a beautiful day and so he could tell it’s going to be a beautiful night to. If it did decide to rain though then luckily there is a little roof that sticks out over the patio and so they would be protected from the worst of it. Next he got out the candle sticks his sister had brought for him last Christmas and positioned them on the table. He didn’t feel that a tablecloth was needed as he personally loved his rustic oak table, but it did need placemats though and so he managed to find 2 chocolate brown fabric ones that contrasted nicely with the wood of the table and the bronze of the candle sticks. It was almost perfect, one final touch and it would be ready. After placing a vase containing the flowers that Jared had sent to him in between the 2 candles, he took a step back and admired the setting for their date. 

Now that the house was tidy and the table was ready, he got to work on the salad and the desert. Naturally it didn’t take him long and he was beginning to run out of tasks to occupy himself with. It was still too early to start the actual cooking and so he turned his attention to himself and making sure that he looked as good as he could for Jared. His self-conscious side made him wonder whether 2 hours was enough time to make himself appear attractive and create an edible meal, but he didn’t really have much of a choice. At least he didn’t have to actually cook the steaks until Jared arrived and so that left him with a little more time to play with. 

Showers have always been one of Jensen’s greatest joys in life. He knows it’s a silly simple thing to love, but he can’t help it. Standing in the shower and having the hot water run over his tight, over worked muscles is one of his favourite parts of his day. Sometimes he steals himself 20 minutes so that he can just enjoy the quiet and the feel of his body relaxing under the heat. This time he didn’t have that luxury though. This shower wasn’t about relaxing, it was a pure necessity one so that he could get himself clean and fresh. He just needed to quickly scrub himself down and remove any traces of his work from his skin. Maybe soon he could share his shower time with Jared and have it more focussed on enjoyment. He couldn’t think like that though, if he let his mind, even for a moment, think about what Jared could be like out of his clothes, what he could have concealed behind the fabric of his boxers, then he would never be able to focus on anything else. Even the idea of Jared was causing his body to react expectantly. In order to get his mind back onto dinner he quickly got out of the shower and dried himself off. To save time he had picked out his outfit the night before and so all he had to do was to throw it on now and get back down to the kitchen. It’s not long until his date will be arriving and Jensen still had to peel and chop the potatoes and get them into the oven alongside the mushrooms and the onion rings. 

At quarter to 6 Jensen had just finished checking on the food cooking in the oven when he heard the doorbell ring. Jared was early and Jensen had not prepared for that scenario. He was suddenly a bag of nerves tinged with excitement at seeing Jared again. Shaking himself off and taking one last moment to check his appearance in the mirror he reached out his hand and clasped the door knob ready to greet the man waiting the other side.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'Crucible' by Author Miller is mentioned briefly in this as being one of Jared's favourites, in fact its more a play that I am fairly fond of and I felt like mentioning it. I studied it in school and loved it and like Jared in this chapter, I was forced to read the part of John Proctor as my teacher felt I couldn't just sit in the back corner trying to avoid answering questions forever.  
> I hope you like this chapter, both of them are getting very emotionally invested now.

Oh god! What had he been thinking accepting Jensen’s offer of such an intimate dinner? Jared had never been around to a guy’s house before. It wasn’t that he had never been with men, he had, plenty of men in fact, but they had always come to his home. The ball had always been in his court and yet now, he had to hand over the wheel and be the passenger for once. He really didn’t know how he felt about that. There wasn’t much that Jared had full control over in his life, everything seemed to either be taken care of by his manager or his mother, all he had sole control over really was cooking and if he wasn’t cooking, well then what was left of him? He didn’t really class himself as having any sort of talent outside of the kitchen. He wasn’t good at any sort of sports, he couldn’t paint and once when he had tried juggling he broke a window, an actual honest to god window! If he wasn’t talking about the food he had prepared then what else could he talk about? There were things he loved sure, like books and history, but he doubted anyone would be interested in listening to him ramble on about Jane Eyre or World War 2. He had done pretty well in school, if he hadn’t have gone down the chef route then he may have gone to college to become a teacher, but if he talks about his love of school then he would just come across as a massive nerd! Jensen is a strong man, with a physical job, he doubted that the older man would be interested in him if you removed his cooking ability, because well, if he was being honest, he doubted there would be anything left of him without it. 

Part of him knew he was being ridiculous and over dramatic. Their last date had been utter perfection and all they had done was talk and drink wine. Now though, he was worried that maybe he had used up all of his interesting topics in the one night. He had spoken about how his father had taught him to cook and how his mother had always supported him, well in her own way anyway and he had spoken about cooking, a lot. He knew he had one big topic left in him, but he wasn’t prepared to discuss that, not just yet anyway. Jensen knew that his father and siblings were dead, but he didn’t know what had happened and being a gentleman he hadn’t pried. 

He couldn’t just turn and bolt though, not from Jensen, not from a man he could actually see himself falling deeply for. He also couldn’t bolt because he had already pressed the doorbell and he could see the outline of the other man approaching from somewhere at the back of the house. He could do this, he could enjoy someone else cooking dinner for him for a change, he didn’t need to be the one holding the spoon all the time. 

As soon as the door was open and he was face to face with Jensen he was extremely happy with his decision to go ahead with this date. Every time he laid eyes on the shorter man it was as though time actually stopped and nothing else mattered apart from the 2 of them. If it meant that he could forever stare into those gorgeous green eyes then he would gladly hang up his apron and never cook again. He was an idiot to worry so much about tonight.

“Hi…”

Jensen could swear he felt his heart rate jump into dangerous territory the moment Jared came into view. He honestly, whole heartedly, believes that he has never seen a more perfectly formed human being before. Jared has it all, perfect hair, dreamy eyes, even dimples that had to have been carved out by angels, they are just that beautiful. 

“Hi…erm, please, come in. can I take your coat?”

Jared wouldn’t really class the blazer he had thrown on as a coat but he slipped it off and handed it to Jensen anyway.

“Thank you.”

It was then that the smell of cooking hit him. It smelt delicious and homely. It actually reminded him of the days when he would come home from school and smell the wonderful meal that his father was creating for them. Jensen had given off the impression that he wasn’t that great a cook, but if the smell was anything to go by, then he was definitely better than a lot of people he knew. 

“Something smells delicious Jensen, what is it you’re cooking?”

“It’s nothing really, it’s just my homemade fries cooking at the moment.”

Wow he makes his own fries to. He’s gone to so much effort, Jared felt his heart swell.

“That’s awesome, I’m really looking forward to dinner.”

“On the subject of dinner…how do you eat your steak?”

Jared can’t resist making a joke in relation to Jensen’s question.

“With a knife and fork, I may be built like a cave man but I don’t eat like one.”

Fantastic, it really lightened the mood and Jared didn’t miss Jensen’s subtle glance down at his crotch, it was obvious the man was wondering if he was, well, proportionate. 

“Medium rare.”

For some reason Jensen seemed to appear confused, it was as if he had been caught off guard.

“It’s how I take my steak, Jensen.”

“Oh, yeah, steak, right, I’m on it.”

And with that Jensen was heading back into what Jared presumed to be the kitchen.

Jared didn’t know whether he was meant to follow or not and so he decided to head into the living room intent on taking a seat on the sofa but then the large array of books caught his eye. He would never have expected Jensen to own so many. There were even a fair few that Jared himself didn’t own and that was saying something. After looking through the various titles he landed on an old, leather bound, copy of the ‘Crucible’ by Author Miller. He remembered studying it in school and since then it had remained a firm favourite of his. His teacher had made his entire class read the play together and he had been chosen for the part of John Proctor. At first he had been far from happy with his new role, but it didn’t take him long to really get into it and engage with the text. It’s such a powerful piece. Learning that Jensen owns it only added to the attraction he felt towards the older man. He had been so worried that they would have nothing to talk about, and that he would find Jared uninteresting, but here, in front of him, was an entire wall of common ground. It seems they still have a lot to learn about one and other and Jared is more than willing to spend the time to discover everything about the handsome farmer. 

It was just as Jared was settling down more comfortably to examine the book he had selected, when Jensen came around the corner and announced that dinner was served. It was also at that moment that Jared’s stomach decided to loudly rumble. Reaching out to take Jared’s hand, Jensen led the man out of the room, both of them laughing at the obvious sign of Jared’s hunger. 

If Jared hadn’t been impressed before then he definitely was now. Jensen had laid out the most beautiful date setting imaginable. Since the sun was starting to set, there were 2, tall, white candles lit on the table, either side of the bouquet Jared had brought, the light from them creating the most romantic atmosphere Jared had ever experienced. Jared also noticed that instead of there being 1 bottle of wine on the table, there were instead 4 bottles on a small table next to the main dining area, the 2 white wines and the rose chilling in ice buckets while the red stood between them. It was so utterly thoughtful. Finally Jared took in the food on the plates, it definitely looked restaurant worthy and he was more than a little bit impressed with his dates obvious culinary skill, he didn’t even need to try the food in order to know it would definitely be good, the smell alone was mouth-watering. Jensen even made the effort to pull Jared’s chair out for him before taking his own on the opposite side of the table. 

“Wow, Jensen, this is all so wonderful, thank you.”

Even with just the setting sun and the candle light illuminating the table, Jared could see the gentle blush spreading across Jensen’s cheeks.

“Don’t thank me, you haven’t tried the food yet, if needs be, we can always order pizza.”

He may have not known the man long, but Jared had a feeling that Jensen tended to put himself down quite a lot. He certainly didn’t come across as an arrogant, confident, self-assured man, which was a good thing definitely, but it was also sad that Jensen seemed to have so much doubt in his own abilities. Jared couldn’t help but wonder what had made the man the way that he is, or more accurately, who had made him feel that way. It was like a gut reaction, the feeling to want to punch whoever that person was squarely in the face. It’s his job now to make Jensen see just how amazing a human being he really is. Reaching across the table Jared tenderly took Jensen’s hand in his own and made sure to look the other man directly into his eyes, it was as though he was seeing his soul and he couldn’t bear to look away from it.

“It’s wonderful Jensen, truly it is, and so are you.”

There was no blushing this time, or quick retort, instead there was a gentle smile as if Jensen was the one thanking him. Jared knew from that very moment that he couldn’t imagine ever being a part from the older man again. He also knew that it wasn’t all going to be plain sailing. He needed to make some changes in his life, come clean to the world about who he really is. He had no intention of keeping Jensen a secret from anyone and that included his mother. But for tonight at least, he was just going to enjoy his time with his special someone. 

. . . . . . . . . .

The steak really was to die for. It had been grilled to perfection. Add the roasted mushrooms, exquisitely seasoned fries, fresh salad and the various other components and Jared was a very happy, and very full, man. Jensen had mentioned that he had also made desert but they had both agreed to wait a little while before they attempted to devour anything else. Neither man wanted to be the first to unbutton their jeans, neither of them mentioned it either. They now found themselves sprawled out on the grass gazing up at the stars, their fingers lovingly entwined. 

“See that up there, that’s the big dipper.”

Jared had to squint his eyes in order to try and focus on where it was that Jensen was pointing to, but he couldn’t for the life of him see anything other than just a mess of twinkling dots.

“Where?”

Jensen scooted a little bit closer to Jared and pressed his head against the chefs and attempted to point it out again.

“There, just below that other, er, star…see?”

Jared was laughing then.

“What a great help that is, there are loads of stars Jensen!”

Turning his head to look at the older man, an eyebrow raised to show that he wasn’t amused, even though he definitely was. He saw that Jensen was already looking at him. Their noses mere centimetres apart. Jared could feel Jensen’s breath tickling his lips. All thought of the stars forgotten. 

“You’re beautiful you know that, Jay.”

That was it. Jared closed the gap between them and passionately pressed his lips against the other man’s soft, plump, waiting ones. Jensen putting up no resistance and instead joining in eagerly. Maybe they were still hungry, just not for food.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a tiny chapter about how their relationship has progressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello beautiful people :) I am sorry that this chapter is so small, but when I wrote the last line I felt like anything else might just ruin this section. It felt like a good end point for it. I have updated twice in 2 days though and I will more than likely be uploading chapter 12 either tonight or tomorrow.   
> Thanks again for reading and for all of the wonderful comments, they never fail to bring a smile to my face x

“Jensen, tonight has been amazing, in fact it’s been one of the best nights of my life, but…”

Oh god, there was a ‘but’. Jensen can really see himself falling for Jared. He has already started to. He’s opened his heart and let the man in and now it was going to get stomped on. They had only had 2 official dates, it’s too soon to call it quits yet, surely it’s too soon. Jared literally just said it had been one of the best nights of his life, if that were true, then why is he about to say what Jensen really doesn’t want to hear. He can’t show how hurt he is. They had not long finished a breath hitching make out session.

“No, Jared, don’t worry about it…I, I get it, you can go.”

The reaction that Jared gave to that statement was definitely not what Jensen had been expecting. He was sure that Jared would have got up and quickly headed for the door without so much as looking back, but he didn’t. Instead he scooted a little close, placed his hand on top of Jensen’s on his knee and looked him directly in the eyes.

“What if I don’t want to go?”

Jensen didn’t understand. Why wouldn’t he want to leave if he was trying to call it quits before they had even properly started?

“I like you Jensen, like, really like you, and, well, I don’t want to date anyone else, I just want to warn you that, that it might not be easy but if you are willing to put up with me and my baggage then I would really like to go out with you…officially.”

Wow! Had that really just happened? Did Jared really just say that he wants to be Jensen’s boyfriend? He had thought for sure that Jared had been attempting to let him down easy, to bolt, flee into the night and so on. He couldn’t have been more wrong though. Jared actually wanted to give it a go and to let the world know. Jensen was speechless. He was in utter shock and yet inside he was doing backflips and whooping with glee.

“Unless you think we are moving too fast…wait, did you want me to go? Have I read this all wrong? I can go if you want me to. I’m sorry if I've freaked you out. God why am I such an idiot, of course you are freaked out, we hardly know each other and here is me asking you to be my boyfriend!”

Jared was in full on panic mode. It was as if his mouth just couldn’t turn off and his brain was working in overtime. Jensen had never witnessed someone ramble on in such a way before. He couldn’t help but find it completely adorable. Instead of speaking, Jensen just lent over and pressed a tender kiss to Jared’s moving lips, instantly halting the cogs in Jared’s brain and silencing his panic.

“Does, does that mean, you...”

“Want to be your boyfriend? Yes Jay, yes it does.”

. . . . . . . . . .

The 2 men spent the next few days practically glued to their phones. They hadn’t had the chance to see each other again since their dinner date due to their equally busy schedules. Jared’s new restaurant was an instant hit and so it was always booming and Jensen had an entire farm to run, the constant orders from ‘Jerry’s’ only added to his work load. So they had resorted to texting as often as they could. Being their own bosses meant that they could ignore the no phones rule and so their back pockets seemed to be on constant vibrate, only letting up for the time it took for the other to read the message and quickly type out a reply. If anything could make them feel like teenagers again then it was this.

_“Since you are a farmer, do you have a spade I could borrow?”_

This particular message caught Jensen off guard, why on earth would Jared require a spade. Before he had time to ask though his phone buzzed again.

_“Because I DIG you!”_

Oh my god…if only Jensen could send Jared the image of his eyes rolling. Oh wait, he can and that was how they got started on snap chat.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No going back now...

Not a single part of Jared wanted to keep his relationship with Jensen a secret, not the part of him that feared his mother, not the part of him that feared what the media would say and definitely not the part of him that worried about how Jensen would be treated. Jared wasn’t scared or worried about any of it, no, he was terrified. He couldn’t kid himself, no matter how much he tried. There was a large part of him that wanted to keep it a secret forever, to just stay hidden inside under the covers with Jensen. It worked when he was a kid and he was hiding from the monsters in the shadows and so why shouldn’t it work now. He didn’t think it was an irrational idea to want to just stay hidden from the world for the rest of his life and instead live in a lovely, magical, love bubble. He couldn’t hide though. Not now that he was an adult. He had to just grab up all of his courage and face the world head on, at least he would have Jensen by his side, that would definitely help him to stay strong. As long as Jensen was with him, he could handle almost anything. That didn’t stop him from worrying though, especially about how him coming out to the world would affect his new boyfriend. He knew that the media and his fans could be extremely cruel and he wanted to shield Jensen from that as best as he could. 

Jared and Jensen have been seeing each other as much as they can, which sadly isn’t as often as either of them would like but it was still better than nothing. It’s been just over a week since they officially became a couple but they have yet to take their relationship public. Those close to them know, well Gen, Chad and Misha know, but everyone else is still totally in the dark. Most of them don’t even know that Jared is into men. They tend to spend most of their time on Jensen’s farm and so, other than Misha and Chad, people don’t see them being adorable together. They didn’t see it when it started pouring down with rain and so Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand and pulled him into a nearby barn where they ended up falling into a pile of hay and just lying their wrapped in each other’s arms, their mouths connecting in harmony. They also didn’t see when Jared helped Jensen pick apples and then they spent the afternoon making apple pies together and just talking for hours. They are happy and Jared doesn’t want anything to ruin it. He’s never felt this way about anyone before. He can see a future with Jensen. Never before in his life has he wished so much to just be a normal, everyday person, now he wished it every day. If he wasn’t a celebrity then no one would care if he held his boyfriends hand while walking down the street, but as he is, everyone thinks that it’s their business and that it somehow affects them.

Jared needs to figure out how to tell the world without making it seem like a big deal. He wants people to just know and say nothing about it, but that is never going to happen, it’s purely wishful thinking. Whatever way they decide to do it, someone is bound to harass them with a camera and a microphone. Their picture will end up on at least one magazine cover, if it is only one then Jared will consider himself a very lucky man. In LA he had a tendency to take a different women every time to events, sometimes they would be friends or employees, other times they would be whoever his manager hired for the night. Yet even then his images would be all over the internet and speculations as to the relationship would be thrown about. He had been seen out with men before, but no one ever suspected that there was anything more than friendship between him and his male companions and so no one ever made a big deal out of it, but none of those men had made Jared feel the way that Jensen does, he had never wanted to be constantly connected to them, to hold their hand or tuck their hair behind their ear. Jared wants to do all of those things with Jensen, he wants to hold him close in public and be able to kiss him on street corners if he so desires to. 

He has considered contacting one of the big magazines and offering them an exclusive ‘reveal all’ interview, but that doesn’t feel right. It feels like he would be pushing his and Jensen’s relationship into the spotlight and once it’s there it will be dissected and examined by the world. He has also thought about just posting a picture of himself and Jensen onto his twitter and tagging it ‘Me and my boyfriend’ but then that would draw a lot of attention towards Jensen and he just doesn’t know how the older man would handle it. It wouldn’t be fair to just send his face out into the world like that. If he’s honest, the best idea actually seems to be the simplest. Gen’s suggested just trying to act like a normal couple and just go out and do the things he wants to do with Jensen, he should just hold his hand in public and then when the paparazzi see and sell the pictures he can just deal with it then, if he really wants to, or he can try to ignore it and just carry on as normal. He had to admit, he quite likes that idea. It doesn’t shove it under the microscope of the media. Heck, they might not even get spotted for a while and so he and Jensen could just have a bit of time as a normal couple before the hype even started. That settled it, he was going to go with that plan, well, as long as Jensen was ok with it.

. . . . . . . . . .

“Sure, let’s do it. I really like you Jared and I get that you aren’t just a regular Joe, so yeah, let’s just act like a normal couple in public and if we are spotted then we can deal with it then, together.”

He hadn’t expected Jensen to take it so well. He knew that it was a lot to ask of a person. He may be used to the paparazzi and crazy fans, but Jensen isn’t and so he had expected a panicked response, but instead Jensen seems oddly calm about it all. He really is a remarkable man.

“Jensen, you are wonderful, you know that? I mean, not many people would be so calm about this. I get that it, that I, am a lot to take on. It’s like it’s not just me you are dating, but also the public image of me and well you’re amazing, so thank you, thank you for coming into my life and for choosing to stay.”

So much has changed since he met Jensen. He actually feels remarkably lighter. It would seem that not having to hide who you are from someone really takes the edge off of things and you can just relax around that person and truly be yourself. That’s something he hopes will only increase after coming out of the, very well hidden, closet. He hopes that he will finally be able to stand tall and proud and free, with nothing holding him back anymore or forcing him to pretend to be someone he isn’t. He has longed for that feeling since he was 13 years old, always feeling like a large part of him was hidden in the dark, deprived of any light or happiness, but not anymore. Finally he will be able to stand out in the sun and bask in its warmth. 

. . . . . . . . . .

They didn’t wait long before taking to the streets of Austin. Both men knew that it would only get harder the longer they put it off and so they are now walking along the sidewalk side by side. Their hands not yet touching. Currently they could quite easily just pass for 2 friends hanging out, but they are far more than just friends at this point. They’re both becoming extremely emotionally invested in their relationship. If they weren’t then they wouldn’t have even considered what they are about to do, there would have been no need, but since they can both see it going further they want to do it right and also Jared just doesn’t want to hide anymore. He’s tired of it. Jensen is the one to speak first, having the farmer take the lead actually makes Jared feel a bit more confident about their plan, it shows him that Jensen wants it to and that he’s not afraid. 

“You ready?”

Jensen’s hand is upturned and waiting for Jared’s, showing him that he’s ready, but the man doesn’t push the chef any further. He knows that Jared needs to be the one to actually say ok, it’s a big move for him, Jensen can only imagine what he’s going through, he never had the problem of coming out really. 

“Ready.”

And with that Jared placed his hand in the other mans and they continued on with their walk, a slight smile spreading across both of their faces. This was it, no going back now.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have updated the tags for this story. As I haven't got a plan for it, I am literally just making it up a chapter at a time and letting it write itself, the tags may be updated again at a later date.

“Who’s the guy that’s turned our favourite ladies’ man gay? What a headline, hey buddy.”

What? How? They hadn’t even seen anyone take their picture while they were out and so how is his face now on the cover of a major magazine? Also, why are they assuming Jensen turned Jared gay? Have they not thought about the possibility that maybe Jared was already gay, or at least bisexual? Jensen doesn’t want to be vilified and painted as a scarlet whore who crept in and turned their beloved chef away from the ‘right path’. He hasn’t even read the article, but from the heading that Misha just read out, he doubts its anything good.

“Jesus! This is so wrong! Jensen you gotta read this and then you gotta call Jared and possibly a lawyer!”

A lawyer! Is it really that bad? Now he’s not so sure he wants to read it, but he has to know what it says. God what if his family sees it?

“Just give it here.”

At first he only intended to skim read it, just to check it over really, but that didn’t last long at all. By the second line he has started to read it properly, fully focusing on every word the vile, lying reporter wrote. He is not a money grabber, or a manipulator and he is certainly not blackmailing Jared for any reason! Like seriously, what the hell?! Jensen doesn’t know whether to rip up the magazine or cry into it. Luckily they don’t know who he is…yet. Once they do they will try everything to make his life a living hell. They may even track down his family and harass them. He doesn’t want anyone to get hurt because of his and Jared’s relationship. Misha wasn’t joking when he suggested calling a lawyer, maybe Jensen should seek legal advice. He could get an injunction out or sue the magazine or something. Isn’t this classed as deformation of character, even if they don’t know exactly who he is? They have still shown his face to the world and basically branded him a seducer! Jared had warned him that it might not be a simple walk in the park, but he didn’t expect anything quite this bad. He doesn’t even want to know what the internet is saying about him, Jared has a lot of fans and well, they probably aren’t feeling very warm towards Jensen right about now. 

It’s at that moment that there is a loud banging on the front door. They can’t have discovered his identity already, can they? His worry must be painted all over his face because Misha takes it upon himself to first look out of the window to check for any TV crews or pitchfork baring crowds and then he cautiously answers the door. Jared is stood on the porch clutching a massive stack of magazines to his chest. His hood is up and his sunglasses are on, but Jensen would know him anywhere. There is nothing he wants more right now than to just run into the oversized man’s arms and stay hidden with his face buried in his neck forever. Unfortunately the magazines Jared is holding stop this from being possible. He doesn’t stay holding them for long though. At the sight of Jensen, he drops them immediately and they all land in a clump at his feet. It appears that Jared to wants to just hold on tight to Jensen and attempt to hide from the world. Maybe they could hide together. 

“I am so sorry Jen, this is the opposite of what I wanted to happen, I was hoping they would just not see or ignore us if they did, but that was always going to be just wishful thinking.”

As he stepped closer to Jared he could see the red rings around his eyes. He had obviously been crying. He also noticed that all of the magazines now scattered on his porch were the same one that he had been reading. Does that mean that it might be the only one with a story about them?

“Did you buy every copy that you saw of that magazine?”

That caused Jared to blush and duck his head a little. In order to draw attention away from his reddening cheeks he awkwardly ran a hand through his shaggy, untidy hair. 

“Uh…yeah, I, I know it’s pointless but I just want to try to minimise this as best I can.”

If this wasn’t such a shitty situation then Jensen would have thought that that was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for him. But as it is a shitty situation he chose not to say anything more about it. Instead he just closed the gap between himself and his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around the taller man’s neck. It would be so simple to just end things between them now, before they got anymore attached, before either of them dropped the L bomb, but it wouldn’t be easy emotionally, they may not have said that they love each other but both men know where they are headed. Neither of them can picture their lives without the other in it. From the moment they met, something had just clicked in them and now they were connected, it was as if they had a rope joining them together permanently. 

“I just want you to know, Jay, I’m not going anywhere, ok? Sure this is a real crap situation, but we can get through this. We just got to show them that they can’t get to us and also that, maybe I’m not such a bad guy. First thing I think we should do, well Misha suggested it really, is we need to call a lawyer.”

. . . . . . . . . .

Within 2 hours they are sat side by side on the couch with Jared’s lawyer, Nathan Fillion, sat in the armchair across from them, his paperwork spread out across the coffee table between them.

“I get this is a really bad situation for you both, so I’m going to do everything within my power to put a stop to it.”

Nathan has been Jared’s lawyer since he opened his first restaurant. Anytime he needs legal advice or paperwork drawn up, Nathan is his man. He trusts him completely and so he knows that he will fix this for them as best as he can. 

“What do you suggest we do in the mean time?”

That was a question on both his and Jensen’s mind. They know they can try and get a court order against the magazine and well any other magazine that wants to trash talk them, but they also know that it’s not an instant thing. It will take some time to sort it out and they just need to know what to do until then. Is it even safe for Jensen to go outside alone right now? Nathan seems to have thought about it all, he had seen the article and had anticipated a phone call from his client at some point and so he had come up with a few ideas to help them out in the meantime. 

“Firstly, I think that for now, Jensen, you shouldn’t go out alone, I know that is difficult since you own a business and you will need to carry on with your day to day life, but I suggest you get a body guard.”

As if anticipating Jensen’s eye roll, Jared quickly jumps in with a suggestion.

“Clif can keep an eye out for him. I know it may seem a tad overkill Jen, but who knows what psychos are out there. Please, for me, just try it for a few days, ok?”

How can he say no to that face? It’s impossible to refuse the adorable man when he pulls out his puppy dog look.

“Fine, I’ll give cliff a try, I promise, but I swear, if it gets awkward or annoying in anyway then he’s gone, you hear me Jared?”

The rest of the meeting seemed to go by fairly quickly and smoothly. Nathan is going to take an injunction out against the magazine and he is also going to sue them for deformation of character. Jensen still isn’t sure how he feels about that. He doesn’t like being written about in such a negative way, but he also doesn’t want to sue and then be called a money grabber if he wins, which Nathan said he will because he is apparently a kick ass lawyer who never loses. What Jensen needs to do is just focus on his relationship with Jared, that’s what’s important and that’s what they are fighting for. If it means that they can just be a normal couple then Jensen is willing to do just about anything, even if that means he will be offering his spare room to a complete stranger who is paid to take a bullet for him. Great just another life he can possibly destroy. 

. . . . . . . . . .

“Jen, don’t worry, Clif is a cool guy, ok?”

Jensen still can’t believe he has to have a bodyguard. He feels totally ridiculous. He’s a grown man, he can protect himself for crying out loud. But he had promised Jared that he will give the whole bodyguard thing a try and so that’s exactly what he’s going to do. Plus it’s already too late since the man’s big, black SUV is already rolling to a stop just in front of the house. Here goes nothing.

Clif is a big man but his face isn’t cold and hard like Jensen had expected it to be. He also isn’t wearing the stereotypical black suit that bodyguards in films wear. Instead he is wearing 3 quarter length board shorts and a t-shirt. He’s even wearing sandals, honest to god sandals! Maybe Jensen could get to know the man and actually think of him as more of a friend than as a paid shield. 

“Hey, I’m guessing your Jensen, nice to meet you, I’m Clif, Jared’s told me all about the situation and don’t worry, no one has ever died on my watch.”

Ok, straight in there then. Jensen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Clif saying about people dying seemed to make everything hit home for Jensen, death is a real possibility for him, Jared’s got some total head cases for fans and he has seen more than one death threat aimed at Jensen on Twitter. Jensen has been avoiding the internet like the plague though, but now that his bodyguard is standing in front of him, he can’t deny that there is the real possibility of danger now present in his life. He sent a silent prayer up to heaven thanking whoever might be listening for the fact that his workplace and home are one in the same and that it’s also pretty far out of town and so he can stay quite well hidden if he chooses to. He is also extremely grateful for Misha and Chad who have both stepped forward and offered to do all of the deliveries and the shopping and so Jensen doesn’t really have much reason to leave his farm at the moment. Jared has also stated that he feels much happier visiting Jensen at his farm rather than anywhere else. Lately visiting seems to be more like temporarily moving in as Jared rarely leaves. Jensen has told him to just go to work, but Jared says that he isn’t really needed and since he owns the place he can just hire someone if it gets too busy. Jensen suspects that Jared might be trying to hide away from it all as well though. After all, he isn’t the only one going through it all, sure Jensen is the one facing most of the abuse based on their relationship, but Jared has come out to the world and so he too is facing his fair share of problems. Sadly homophobia is certainly not a thing of the past, especially not in Texas.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone :) sorry about the fact that this chapter is not only short but also a day later than usual. I have recently started tutoring and so my evenings seem to be taken up by planning lessons and my days are spent focussing on my university work before heading out to teach. I am still going to try to write a new chapter for this every 2 days but sometimes it may be a day late or a little short or in this case both. I will work out a better balance with everything though eventually. So please just bear with me :)  
> Thanks for always being great readers x

Jensen felt it rather than saw it. He didn’t see the two men and he didn’t see the rock in one of their hands. He also didn’t see the larger of the two men raise his arm and throw the rock as hard as he could towards Jensen. Clif didn’t see it either. If he had then maybe the blood would have stayed inside of Jensen, rather than trickle down the side of his head and around the back of his ear. It wouldn’t have streamed down onto his shoulder and ruined one of his favourite shirts. He wouldn’t have ended up face down on the pavement and he wouldn’t have ended up unconscious.

Before he lost consciousness he heard them laughing and whooping. Clearly they were happy that they managed to hit their target. He had also heard Clif swear sharply. Then everything just went black. 

. . . . . . . . . . 

Jared had taken some time off work to just lay low and spend time with Jensen. He had tried to shield the other man from everything. He had kept him away from magazines and the internet. He had wanted him to switch off his phone in case they managed to get a hold of his number, but Jensen had refused, he still had work to do after all. Jared had wanted to take longer off, he had even considered hiring a temporary head chef to take over for a little while, but Jensen had insisted that he should just go back to work and that he would be just fine on the farm without him. As they haven’t been going out for long, Jared really didn’t want to push it and risk moving too fast for the older man. He really likes him and so he grudgingly went back to work. 

He’s only been at work for a few hours when he receives a worrying phone call from Clif. The burly man has no reason to call Jared unless something bad has happened.

“What’s happened Clif?”

The bodyguard knows he can’t hide anything from Jared and he has no intention to. He just wants to try to minimise the younger man’s worry. It’s obvious to anyone that knows Jared, that he already cares very deeply for the farmer and so if Clif words it wrong then he knows he will be on the receiving end of a crying, distraught man. 

“He’s ok, don’t worry, the doc…”

“Doctor?! WHAT HAPPENED?”

So much for trying to keep the chef calm. He should have known that as soon as he mentioned the word doctor that Jared would freak out. 

“Jared, man, cool it ok. Jensen is going to be just fine, the doctor said that there doesn’t appear to be any swelling or internal bleeding…”

“INTERNAL BLEEDING! Clif seriously! WHERE IS JENSEN NOW!?”

Clif can tell that he is going to get nowhere speaking to Jared on the phone and so he decides to just tell him where they are so he can come down and see for himself.

“We’re at City Hospital, I’ll meet you by the entrance.”

. . . . . . . . . .

Jared wastes no time in rushing out to his car and speeding off towards the hospital. All he can think about is Jensen and how it is his fault that his boyfriend is now hurt, that his boyfriend his now lying in a hospital bed, probably covered in tubes and surrounded by beeping machines. 

Oh god, please, please let Jensen live!

Just like Clif had said, he is waiting patiently by the front entrance to the hospital. With the way that Jared pulled into the hospital parking lot, it’s a surprise that he didn’t accidentally knock the man over. 

“Clif, where is he, where’s Jensen?”

Rather than wasting time trying to talk to Jared, Clif just motions for the man to follow him and then he leads the way through the hospital and to the A&E department. He had left  
Jensen in one of the beds there, the man was still very much unconscious at the time. Now though he is nowhere to be seen. 

“He was right here when I left to call you. They didn’t mention anything about moving him.”

Jared is really starting to panic now. Somewhere is this hospital is his injured boyfriend and if he wakes up alone who knows how he will feel, he may already be awake and freaking out. He needs to find him.

“Excuse me, nurse. There was a man here, Jensen Ackles. Where is he, please, I’m his boyfriend?”

For once something was going right for him, the nurse had been the one to move Jensen and so she knows exactly where he is. Due to them wanting to keep him in for observation he has been moved to one of the wards. As she is about to go on her break she personally escorts Jared to the ward before taking her leave.

“Thank you.”

She just waves him off and carries on down the corridor and he pushes through the double doors and into the ward where Jensen is located.  
Luckily it doesn’t take them long to find him. There is only him and one other patient in the whole room. The sight of Jensen just lying there, his head bandaged and his eyes still closed, really gets to Jared. He can feel silent tears rolling down his face. It’s his fault that Jensen his here. It’s his fault and he doesn’t know what to do to make it better. 

“He’ll be ok Jared, the doctor said it’s just a fracture. The bandage makes it look worse than it is. When he wakes up he will have one hell of a headache but other than that he will recover just fine.”

Jared took in all that Clif just said, but he still can’t forgive himself. Someone hurt Jensen because of him. If he wasn’t a celebrity then no one would even know who Jensen is, they wouldn’t recognise him and they wouldn’t care about his sexuality as they simply wouldn’t know it. If Jared had just ignored what Jensen said and stayed with him rather than going back to work, he could have been there to protect him. He should have been there.  
There is a chair next to Jensen’s bedside and so Jared sinks down into it and reaches out to take Jensen’s hand. His tears still falling down his face. 

“I’m sorry Jensen, I’m so sorry.”


	15. Chapter 15

Jensen has never had a headache so bad in his entire life. It feels like his eyes could actually explode at any moment. Part of him can’t help but wonder if that would help to relieve some of the pressure. He hasn’t yet opened his eyes. He thinks the light might actually kill him if he does, the level of pain he is in can’t be normal. There is a weight in his left hand, at first he can’t seem to figure out what it is and then he realises it must be a hand, someone his holding his hand. He has to decide whether to risk opening his eyes to see who it is or to test out his voice and potentially cause an internal irruption if the sound is just too loud. He decides to go with the first option and attempt to slowly ease his eyelids upwards. The first sight he is hit with is an intense whiteness, it’s too much to bear so soon. His arm shoos out of the persons grasp and goes up to shield his eyes from the shocking brightness. 

“Jen? Honey? What’s wrong? Is it too bright? Of course it’s too bright, give me a second, I’ll close the curtains.”

Jensen can tell that its Jared in the room with him from his smooth, rich voice, he can also hear him standing up and closing the curtains as best he can. He needs to try testing his eyes again, but it all just hurts so damn much. He can’t keep his arm over his face forever though. Slowly but surely he lowers it and peaks beneath his lashes, the curtains being closed really takes the edge off of the glare. It still hurts but it is definitely more bearable, especially seeing Jared’s beautiful face staring down at him. Now that his eyes are open he can see that he is lying in a hospital bed, he just can’t remember how he got here though. 

“What…what happened?”

Could he have been in a car accident or something? He remembered him and Clif getting in the car to head into the city but he couldn’t remember anything after that. He stretches out slightly to test his body and other than his head, he can’t feel any pain. He then tentatively reaches up and can feel a bandage wrapped tightly around his scalp. The pressure must be causing the pain, he is finding it hard to stand, he needs to be rid of it and so he attempts to pull off the bandage but Jared grabs his hands and stops him before the bandage can be removed.

“No, Jen, leave it. You need it to protect your head. Some prick through a rock at you, it gave you quite a nasty cut and a fractured skull. They had to give you some butterfly stiches and the bandage is to protect your skull while it heals.”

“A rock?” 

Jensen can’t remember anything about the incident. Why would anyone want to hurt him like this? He can’t recall having any enemies. He has always thought that he got on quite well with most people. Sure he might keep to himself but he doesn’t think of himself as being too bad a guy really. 

“You don’t remember?” 

“I remember getting in the car with Clif and then waking up here, wait, CLIF! If he ok?”

Typical Jensen, putting everyone before himself. He has to know that Clif is ok. Speak of the devil, Clif must have heard his name as now he is making his way towards the 2 men.

“Hey man, I’m just fine, a little annoyed I didn’t manage to get those 2 douchebags though!”

Now there were 2 people who tried to hurt Jensen. He was having a hard time trying to think of 1 person who would do something like this, let alone 2. 

“2?”

Jared and Clif share a worried look before Clif takes it upon himself to try to fill in the blanks for Jensen.

“Yeah, we had not long parked up and were heading to by some chicken feed when suddenly 2 guys decided they wanted to cause trouble and 1 of them picked up a rock and threw it at your head. There was no warning and so no way to avoid it really, their aim was annoyingly good and it knocked you out cold. I couldn’t just leave you lying in the street and go and chase after em, I told the police everything I know though. They want to speak to you to, but I can’t see it being much use if your noggin is scrambled.” 

Nothing like this has ever happened to Jensen before. He has never even been in a fight. He’s just not that type of guy. He doesn’t want to think about it right now though, his head is hurting enough already and so he decides to change the subject slightly.

“Did anyone go and pick up the chicken feed? I can’t have my girls going hungry now.”

This light hearted subject change brought a slight smile to Jared’s face and an almost non-existent laugh.

“I think Misha went and fetched some yesterday after we let him know what had happened.”

Yesterday? Wait a minute, how long had Jensen been unconscious for?

“What do you mean yesterday?”

Yet again Jared and Clif exchange a worrying look.

“Jen, you’ve been out cold since yesterday morning. The doc’s said they were just going to keep you in for observation overnight and give you time to wake up but you’ve taken longer than expected and so they are going to keep you in for a couple more days just as a precaution.”

Jensen let out an irritated groan at the prospect of a couple more days lying in the hospital bed. He doesn’t even sleep in in the mornings, he can’t stand doing nothing, it’s just not who he is. He’s a hard worker and so being told to stay in bed and do nothing is like sheer torture. It’s at that moment that the doctor decides to make their presence known. 

“It’s good to see you’re finally awake. Hi, I’m Dr Miller. How’s your head feeling?”

The mere mention of his head brings a rush of pain that causes Jensen to flinch.

“I feel like I’ve had a house dropped on my head. You got anything for the pain doc?”

“Well, morphine is probably a little strong for this, but I can get you some aspirin in just a moment and you can take those.”

Jensen has decided he doesn’t really like Dr Miller, she is standing between him and heavenly pain medication. If her head felt as bad as his does right now then she would know that morphine is exactly what he needs, a simple aspirin just isn’t going to cut it! He isn’t going to argue as his momma would be disgusted at him if he did, but that won’t stop him from acting like a petulant child about it all though.

“Fine, whatever, but be quick about it. Got it!”

Dr Miller just nodded and scurried out of the room, leaving Jared and Clif staring at Jensen with their mouths open. Jared is the first of them to speak.

“Was that really necessary Jensen, she’s only doing her job, there is no reason to be rude.”

Now Jensen isn’t sure if he likes Jared much either. 

“If you were in this much pain then I would get you the good drugs, even if I had to black market that shit! Aspirin my ass.”

That seemed to stop Jared from arguing further. He instead looked down and started to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. He knows Jensen’s right, he may have only known the man a short while, but, he can tell that Jensen wouldn’t just sit back and take it if he thinks someone isn’t being treated the way they should be. It also only adds to the guilt that Jared is feeling towards the whole situation. He can’t help but blame himself for what happened. They live in Texas and homophobia is far from dead here, having them holding hands on the front page of multiple magazines is like putting a sign above Jensen’s head saying, ‘hey look over here, I’m gay’. He may as well have thrown the rock himself, he feels that bad about it all.

“I’ve got to go and check on some stuff, I’ll see you later Jen.”

Before Jensen can say anything, Jared is up and out of the room. He needs some air and maybe if he can find out who did this and stop it from happening again then he will be able to sleep again. Until then, he just doesn’t feel like he will ever feel ok again.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry for the wait, I have been pretty busy tutoring lately and I have also had very little energy after doing my university work. I am not giving up on this fic though, not by a long shot. I am just still working on a better life balance. I am also writing a novel but I haven't had a chance to write anymore of that and so I need to try and find time for that to.   
> If only there were more than 24 hours in a day.  
> I hope you like this update, it's got a lot more dialogue than normal and I apologise to Jensen fans, he isn't in this particular chapter but he's not going anywhere :)

Jared feels like he needs to fix it. He needs to make sure that Jensen is safe. Before Jared came to town Jensen didn’t have any troubles. Jared knows that he has basically come in and messed up Jensen’s entire world. It’s because of him that he is now lying in a hospital bed with butterfly stiches keeping a gash on his head closed. Jared has never felt about someone the way he feels about Jensen. From the moment he first laid eyes on him, the farmer has had a special place in Jared’s heart and he honestly now feels as though he may never feel normal again if Jensen was to leave. He won’t say the ‘L’ word, not just yet, but he knows in his heart that he feels it and he feels it hard. He just needs to make this entire situation easier on Jensen. He needs to make it clear that ‘celebrity’ is not the only type of person that Jared is and that if he could he would be a normal person in a heartbeat. If he can then he will be that person for Jensen, he knows that he would give it all up if it means that he can keep Jensen. For so long cooking has been all Jared cared about, all he lived for, but now his world has shifted and he no longer revolves around cooking, instead, Jensen has become his sun and he will do whatever is in his power to protect his sun. Even if that means facing the press and just getting all of the questions over with. If there is nothing left to know then they have no reason to hound them. 

The lady sat in front of Jared isn’t a stranger per say, but she is definitely not a friend. Sarah has interviewed him before and she is notorious for asking highly probing and sometimes uncomfortable questions. For this subject she is the best option though. He knows that she will push him and so other magazines won’t harass him after this as they won’t get anything else out of him. He still isn’t happy about the situation he has found himself in but he feels that giving this exclusive interview will help to put an end to all of the harassment and if not, then a massive court injunction will, but they take time and money.

“Hello Jared, it’s good to see you again.”

Jared forces a smile on his face and takes her extended hand in a hearty handshake.

“Hi, erm, yeah, it’s good to see you to, I guess.”

It’s obvious that he’s nervous and unsure about this interview but she just brushes it off and motions for him to sit down in the chair opposite her. She clicks on her voice recorder.

“So, by now Jared you know the drill, but I have to ask you anyway. Are you ok with me recording this interview?”

“Yes.”

“Are you also ok for my photographer, Osric,” she gestures to the man next to her holding a very large camera, “to take some photographs throughout the duration of the interview?”

Again he answers “yes.”

“First up I want to know about this photograph everyone has seen of you and a, if I may add, dashing, slightly older gentleman, holding hands. Is he your boyfriend?”

He knew this was going to be uncomfortable but he didn’t expect to already be sweating through his undershirt. 

“Erm, well, yeah, yeah he is. “

She showed no signs of a reaction to his revelation and so Jared assumes it must just be obvious from the hand holding that him and Jensen are in fact a couple. 

“Interesting, you’ve never been spotted before in such an intimate way with another man, is he your first boyfriend?”

Jared doesn’t quite know how to answer this question, sure he has been with men in the past, but this is different, he can see a future with Jensen. If he looks back on past relationships he can’t think of any of them being proper ones and so maybe Jensen is his first boyfriend. 

“I guess in a way he is, yes.”

“In a way? Are you saying that he is not the first man you have ever been, let’s say, more than just friends with?”

Jared can’t tell for definite but he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of her leaning in a little bit closer to him. She is definitely feeling a scoop here.

“No, he’s not.”

“When was it that you realised you felt that way towards other men?”

Part of him feels wrong for answering such personal questions when he hasn’t even told these things to Jensen yet, but he has to be honest and open with everything if he wants to be left alone to live his life and also, more importantly, if he wants Jensen to be left alone. 

“Well, I was 13 when I realised that I’m gay...”

Jared didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence as Sarah jumped on his latest revelation and interrupted him midway.

“Gay? But you are always photographed with such beautiful women on your arm.”

“Er, yeah, about that, erm…”

He was definitely feeling the heat now. He is tempted to remove his beanie but he can tell his hair is probably plastered to his scalp right now and so instead he just rubs at the back of his neck. 

“Well, to be honest that is, was, more for my mom, she always arranges these things and finds a women for me to take.”

“So is your mother not supportive of your sexuality?”

Trust her to grab onto that little titbit. He isn’t going to lie though. He is going to be honest and he is going to be the real Jared for a change. No more hiding.

“Let’s just say she wasn’t too thrilled when her 15 year old son told her he was attracted to men instead of women.”

“How did she react? Did she ever threaten to disown you?”

“No, she has not once said about cutting me off as her son, I know that she loves me, she just doesn’t agree that I’m gay, I learnt that when she arranged for me to take my neighbours daughter to the prom.”

“Has she met your new boyfriend?”

“No, no she hasn’t and if I am honest, I don’t know if she ever will.”

Jared would love to be able to say that his mom would meet Jensen and welcome him into the family with open arms, that she would bake a fresh apple pie and they would all sit by the fire and enjoy hot coco, but that is never going to happen. Not only can he not see his mom accepting Jensen, but she has also never baked before in her life. 

“I know that your father passed away when you were a child, how do you think that he would have felt about you and your boyfriend?”

God she really does cut deep. Jared knew she would push him but he hadn’t expected her to bring up his deceased father. That was so long ago, he didn’t think he would ever have to rake over it again. He just wants to try to move on as best he can.

“I know that my father would just want me to be happy, so let’s just move on, shall we.”

“Was your father a supporter of homosexuality?”

Jared could feel his blood pressure starting to rise.

“I said let’s move on.”

“Does your boyfriend know about how you are the only survivor of the accident that killed your father and siblings?”

He was beginning to feel incredibly angry.

“No, not yet he doesn’t and I fail to see the relevance of that to this current situation!”

“Ok, we will move on then. Since you are now in a relationship with someone in Austin, does that mean that you won’t be returning to LA?”

Finally a question that didn’t make him want to scream.

“I’m not sure, but I can say that right now I have no plan to return to LA. Austin is a great city and I can see it potentially becoming the place I call home.”

The rest of the questions were a lot less probing and lighter and so Jared didn’t struggle to answer any of them. He touched upon how he met Jensen, simply saying it was through work, he also stated that he wants them to have the opportunity to get to know each other properly and if people would be so kind as to just leave them alone rather than harass them then that would be great. He has to admit, some of the interview was pretty tough and if he hadn’t refused to answer the question in relation to his father then it may have only gotten worse. Now he just has to wait for it to go to print and hope that people will leave him and Jensen alone once they have read the article. He also needs to tell Jensen about it before someone else does. He doesn’t regret the interview though. If it doesn’t stop the harassment at least it will be a clear sign to the world that he is in fact gay, there is no turning back from that now.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the wait and also for the fact that this chapter is only short. My life seems to have gotten so busy lately with uni work and tutoring. I am studying illustration and so I am also doing illustration work, I've got a couple of colouring book meetings and things this week I had to prepare for and so I haven't been able to write much.

She can’t believe what she is seeing. It has to be some sort of joke. Jared knows exactly how she feels about this, he wouldn’t do something like this, but she can’t deny the evidence in front of her. Not only are there pictures of him, him holding hands with…a man, but there is also this disgusting interview to go along with them! She is in utter shock, how dare he do this to her, his own mother. She needs to do something about this and fast. There is no way for her to cover this up now that its plastered all over the cover of god knows how many magazines, but she can at least end it now. No child of hers is going to be a…a…a homosexual! She forbids it

“Jeffrey, I need a flight, get me one to Austin. Now!”

Jeffrey often questions his own sanity for putting up with the vile way that Sharon treats him, but then he remembers his pay check and everything seems right with the world. He has worked for the Padalecki’s for as long as he can remember and he has always sort of just known about Jared but he has known better than to bring it up to either Sharon or Jared. He values his job and in terms of Sharon, his life. Sharon is a fierce women, it’s not known whether she became like this after her family was killed or if she had always been like it, if the latter, then Jeffrey has a great respect for her late husband. 

In terms of the women’s aversion to her son’s sexuality, it has never been publicly portrayed, but then how could it be since she wanted it to be hidden from society forever. Now though, that is an impossible thing considering he appears to be ‘out’ in the world. Jeffrey has been there for Jared since the beginning of his rise to stardom and he just wants the man to be happy. It’s clear from the smiles in the photo’s that Jared is a lot more relaxed and he truly does seem happier just being able to be who he really is. Is his happiness not the most important thing after all? From the deep scowl on Sharon’s face it’s obvious that that is clearly not true. In her eyes the only two things that matter are her reputation and money, it’s not clear which one she values more though. 

“How could he do this to me Jeffrey? Have I not been the best mother a boy could ask for?”

If Jeffrey ever had a dislike for lying then it was definitely gone now. He knows that he has to bend the truth and embellish the facts when it comes to his boss.

“He obviously wasn’t thinking Mrs Padalecki, you have done everything for him and he knows that, once he sees how upset you are about all of this, he will probably try to fix it himself.”

If any women is an accurate real life representation of Cruella Deville, then it’s Sharon. If it meant she could get a load of cash or something else worth her while then she would be more than willing to kill 101 Dalmatians. Jared is her meal ticket. His talent has shot her up the ladder and meant that she is able to live a life of luxury. If Jared ruins that then her life might suffer and her reputation could be in jeopardy. She can’t have that.

“This, ‘thing’, with that…man, must be stopped!”

. . . . . . . . . . 

It’s been a few days since the interview and the magazine went on sale this morning. Jared was going to tell Jensen all about it straight after he had finished with the interviewer, but instead he decided to wait until he had a copy of the interview to show him. Jensen had gotten released from hospital 2 days ago but he was still taking things a bit easier than normal. Luckily Misha had taken care of things on the farm.

“Hey, Jensen, you got a minute?”

Jared still feels confident in his decision to do the interview but he doesn’t want to upset Jensen because of it.

“Yeah, sure, what’s up babe?”

Jared doesn’t want to stress Jensen out but he feels like sitting side by side on the sofa might be necessary for a conversation such as this. Taking Jensen’s hand in his, he led him over to the sofa, the magazine already waiting on the coffee table, their faces prominently displayed on the cover.

“Jensen, please just listen to me for a minute, ok?”

“…ok”

“I couldn’t sit by and watch people treat us, treat you, in such an awful way. You could have died and I wasn’t there to do anything about it.”

“Jay, that wasn’t your fault.”

“Jen, if it wasn’t for me then you would be able to keep your life private and just enjoy yourself, you wouldn’t have the worry of paparazzi and magazine covers. I felt like I had to do   
something, even if it doesn’t really work, I just had to try.”

“What did you do Jared?”

“I came out…publicly. I gave an interview and I was open and honest about myself. Sure I had to give some basic details about us, but they don’t know who you are or how exactly we met or anything like that. I also told them that we just want a chance to be a couple and to get to know each other properly and in private.”

Jensen is speechless. He can’t even begin to imagine how hard that must have been for his boyfriend. To come out is one thing, but to do it so publicly. He must have felt so raw and naked. Even in the interview he made sure to protect Jensen and keep him out of it as best he could. His heart keeps filling up with more and more love for the man next to him. Is it too soon to proclaim his love or should he just bite the bullet and jump in with both feet? No time like the present.

“I love you Jay.”

Jared doesn’t even need time to think before a smile spreads across his face.

“I love you to, Jen, so much.”

It’s as Jared is leaning in for a kiss that his phone beeps to signify a text. 

“Oh god!”

What had been such a romantic and emotional moment for them was now cast in shadow by the look of terror on Jared’s face. 

“Jay, baby, what’s wrong?”

“My mother…she’s, she’s coming to visit.”


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared's mother arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick update sorry. I wanted to update this week and I know Sunday is a grey area as to whether its the start or the end of the week, but I'm classing it as the end right now. I am really sorry for how rubbish I am being lately, this week has just been hell though and to top it all off I had to help my brother move out yesterday and I already miss him.

Sharon hadn’t given the 2 men long to prepare for her arrival, they only had just over a day to both prepare Jared’s home and also attempt to mentally/emotionally prepare themselves for the hurricane that is Jared’s mother. Neither man is thrilled about her spontaneous visit, Jared in particular feels cold every time he thinks about it. Jensen knows that Sharon doesn’t approve of her sons sexuality but he doesn’t quite know the exact details or the situation with Jared’s prom when he was 16 or how cruel the women truly is. Luckily they didn’t have much to organise in Jared’s apartment, he permanently had a guest bedroom set up and he actually has been at Jensen’s a lot more than his own place and so there wasn’t much to clean or organise. This gave them more time to fret over the visit and Jared would have actually been glad of the distraction of cleaning his home. 

There is no turning back now though, both Jared and Jensen are stood at the departures gate entrance, sunglasses and baseball caps cleverly hiding their identities. They are stood so close together that if they attempted to move towards each other anymore then they would probably just mould into one being. It’s clear that Jared is verging on petrified, his hands are shaking, he’s pale as a ghost and he has already sweated through his shirt. 

“Honey, try to calm down, ok. Maybe it won’t be so bad, she is your mother after all. Isn’t it sort of the law that she loves you?”

Jared knows that Jensen is attempting to make a joke but he just can’t bring himself to laugh or to relax. 

“You haven’t met my mother…yet. She isn’t that type of mother.”

“Well, I’m here for you, no matter what, ok?”

“Thanks, knowing you are with me is what’s giving me the strength to do this in the first place, you mean too much to me and so I refuse to let her ruin what we have. I will apologise in advance though, she can be an intimidating women.”

Intimidating women? Jensen may appear to be as cool as a cucumber, but really he’s trembling on the inside. He has never felt about anyone the way he feels about Jared and so he needs to keep it together, for both of their sakes.

Oh god, here goes. The departure doors are opening and here comes the people straight from LA. His mother isn’t hard to miss with her enormous sun hat, large sunglasses and tight fitting baby blue women suit. She is the air of stuck up. She even has that ridiculous little walk that women do when their heels are probably a tad too high for comfort. Jensen can’t help but notice that she is missing something.

“Where’s her bag?”

At the mention of her bag an out of breath man comes into view behind her, he’s got several bags weighing him down and is also dragging 2 wheelie suitcases behind him. Jared had expected to see Jeffrey escorting his mother but this man was a total stranger to him. 

Despite the sunglasses and cap, Jared’s mother makes her way directly over to them. A forced smile plastered onto her overly Botoxed face. 

“Jared, darling, how lovely it is to see you sweet pea.”

“Mother.”

“Oh come here you gorgeous boy of mine, give your momma a hug.”

It is by far one of the most awkward hugs that Jensen has ever seen before in his life. His hugs with his momma were always comforting and full of love. This one seems more like an obligation though. 

“You, get my bags. I’m sure this young man wants to carry on with his own journey.”

It takes Jensen a moment to realise that Sharon is staring directly at him and also for it to sink that the man currently holding her bags was in fact a fellow passenger and not someone who works for her.

“What, oh, right, your bags, got it.”

It’s obvious that Jared is already frustrated with his mother. He won’t stand for his boyfriend being treated badly by anyone, especially not her.

“Mother, this is Jensen, my BOYFRIEND, not your bag boy.”

His comment clearly didn’t affect his mother in the slightest. She simply brushed it off and stuck her nose in the air.

“He has 2 hands, he may as well make himself useful.”

“Can I speak to you for a moment, mother?”

Without waiting for her reply, he takes her by the arm and directs them a little way away from Jensen so that he can talk to his mother in private for a second. 

“Jensen is very important to me and so if you aren’t going to treat him with respect and at least attempt to be nice, well then you may as well turn around and fly back to LA right now!”

This time Sharon is shocked. Jared has never spoken to her this way before, he has never stood up for himself. Clearly the poison was deeper than she had suspected and it was going to be a lot harder for her to remove the ‘growth’. No matter how she looks at it, if she has any hope of saving her son’s career and his dignity, she is going to have to play nice, at least for now anyway. Instead of saying anything to Jared, she turns on her heels and heads directly for Jensen, yet another, heavily forced smile plastered onto her face. This time though, her hand is outstretched for a greeting.

“Sharon Padalecki, it’s…nice to meet you, Jensen.” 

“Nice to meet you to mam.”

Jensen is still left to carry the bags to the car, well at least half of them anyway, to his mother’s dismay, Jared carries the rest.

This was definitely going to be a long trip. Sharon hasn’t exactly said how long she plans on staying for, or why she has decided to pay Jared a spontaneous visit in the first place. He suspects it has something to do with his magazine article, it’s just too much of a coincidence that on the same day that it is released, she decides she suddenly wants to be a mother and visit her son. He is definitely going to have to tread carefully around her and keep his guard heavily up. There aren’t many people in this world that he trusts less than his mother and he isn’t going to give her the benefit of the doubt. Especially where he and Jensen are concerned, it’s just too important for him and he won’t let his mother ruin it for them.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I have been such a bad writer, I am sorry for making you all wait so long and for also writing such a short chapter. I am in the process of creating an adult colouring book at the moment and I am also on my final major project before I graduate and so there has been a lot going on. When I graduate things will be a lot calmer and I will be able to write so much more.

Jared’s apartment is on the edge of Austin. He wants to be close enough to the city life that he can happily join it whenever he feels like it, but also far enough away that he can at least get a bit of privacy every so often. It is also a fairly modest and understated place for someone whose face is regularly in the media. He has never been one for fancy or over the top things. He also doesn’t feel the need to splash out on unnecessary items just because he has the money. His apartment is definitely not to Sharon’s taste or up to her standard. If she had had her way, when he had brought it, then she would have brought in her team of decorators, the same ones she uses for his overly fancy restaurants, and they would have totally redone the place. One thing for sure it that there would have, without a doubt, been a lot more white and gold around the place. He instead had gone for aged woods and natural colours. It’s a proper Texan male’s room. It isn’t the first time that Sharon has seen the place, she of course saw it when he first moved in, however she has not once visited him in Austin, she often states how glad she is to have left Texas all together. 

“Well, isn’t this…nice.”

She isn’t even attempting to mask her look of dissatisfaction at her current surroundings. Jensen however loves the place. He has from the first moment he saw it. Jared has real taste and has made the place feel like a second home for Jensen. 

“You know you can always stay in a hotel. There is a great one just the other side of the city. You know what, I can take you there now, give you a chance to settle in and relax.”  
Jared has already picked up the previously discarded luggage and has started to make his way towards the front door.

“No no, Jared that won’t be necessary. I’ll stay right here, where I can be, close to you, both of you.” 

If Jared wasn’t certain of his mother’s intentions before, then he definitely is now. She isn’t even hiding it all that well. He knows how she feels about his sexuality and he knows that she is not the sort of women who doesn’t get her own way. She is definitely up to something and he needs to watch her like a hawk.

“Fine, well I guess I’ll put these in the guest room then.”

It’s as he is making his way towards the spare room that an idea hits him.

“I guess this place will basically feel like a hotel anyway…since I will be staying at Jensen’s.”

Jensen’s head shoots up and his eyes instantly lock with Jared’s. He had no idea what Jared was going on about. He thought that Jared would be staying with his mother for the duration of her trip and that he would just stay out of their way and tend to his farm until the she devil left. It’s not that he is unhappy with this new development, because he is, he doesn’t really want to stay away from his new boyfriend, but he also doesn’t want to get in the way at all. Before Jensen can raise the point though, Jared has dropped off the bags and is leading Jensen by the arm towards the exit. It’s clear by the look on Sharon’s face that this new development is clearly not what she wants.

“Call if you need anything, goodnight mother.”

Goodnight was probably a bit much considering it is only 2 in the afternoon, but he hopes that it got his point across. His point being that Jared has had enough of his mother for today and so won’t be seeing her again until at least the next morning, at least being the operative word. Sharon doesn’t even get a chance to object before the door closes behind her son and his boyfriend. She is left utter gobsmacked. 

“I’m so sorry Jensen, I know this is going to be an awful week or well, however long she is staying for, but I swear I won’t let her mistreat you. She has called the shots in my life for too long now and enough is enough. I’m also sorry for just inviting myself to stay at yours, I should have checked with you first but I honestly thought she would be staying in a hotel.”

“It’s ok Jared. I don’t mind you staying with me while she is here, I like it actually. Also you don’t need to apologise for your mother. It probably won’t be as bad as you think and   
hey, maybe she won’t even stay a week.”

Jensen has a knack for staying relatively calm in uncertain times. He always seems to know exactly what to say to calm a person down. Sure he is secretly panicking himself and he can already tell that Sharon really doesn’t like him, but he needs to stay strong and confident for his boyfriend’s sake. He trusts that Jared won’t let her come between them and he just has to ride the trip out. Hopefully sooner rather than later, she will be gone and they can get back to just being with each other. 

“I still mean what I said Jared, I love you and well, I’m in this for the long run, if you’ll have me that is.”

With that the look of despair was quickly removed from Jared’s face and in its place was a massive grin and a glint in his eye.

“Have you, of course I will have you Jensen. I love you to remember and we can get through my mother being here. Sure it’s probably going to result in me needing to go on blood pressure medication, but ye, maybe she won’t even stay for the week.”

Both men share a look as if they are trying to reassure one and other, internally though, they are both freaking out and mentally clinging onto their love for each other. It’s still so fresh and new they will do anything to stop it from breaking. They cannot let Sharon weasel her way between them and tare them apart. No matter what happens during her trip, their goal is to finish it standing hand in hand together, stronger, united against all odds and enemies. Even if Sharon and Jared’s relationship as mother and son is a casualty, not that there is much love between them anyway.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for how long it has been. I have not forgotten about this story, I have just been so busy with my university work as my deadline is coming up very soon and then I have my graduate show to organise. The only break I have had was to go to Asylum 18 last weekend, it really helped to get me into the Supernatural mood and back to writing. I hope you like this chapter, even though it is only short.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me :)

“How about we order in tonight? I’m in the mood for Chinese.”

Jensen had to admit, that did sound fairly heavenly right about now.

“Sure, but I’m paying.”

He could have predicted the groan from Jared the moment he said that, but he just didn’t care. His momma had raised him to be a gentleman and just because Jared is, well, loaded, it doesn’t mean he’s going to step aside and act like a pampered princess. Though he doubts Jared would object to that. He would probably get him a throne and a crown if he asked for it. 

“You know I really don’t mind…”

“No, Jared, I am paying for this. Let me treat you for once. It’s a Chinese, not a freaking car.”

That put an end to all of the objections and left Jared with a loving, yet slightly goofy, smile on his face.

“Ok then, I want ribs to start, followed by chicken Chow Mein, oooh and we need spring rolls to and fortune cookies, they taste awful but its fun to read them.”

Jensen still can’t get over how wrong he was about Jared. He is the best person he has ever met, he is fun, loving, intelligent and wonderfully talented. He’s the full package. He’s perfect. He can also eat Jensen out of house and home without ever getting fat. It’s this fact that leads Jensen to add an extra portion of ribs and some egg fried rice to their order, Jared will definitely thank him for that later. It may only be 5pm but Jensen wastes no time in ordering their food, he can’t wait to just curl up on the couch next to Jared and binge watch some cheesy TV show.

“They said it will be about 40 minutes, how about you find us something to watch while I go and feed the chickens.”

“Sure, but you can’t moan about what I choose.”

Jensen has a feeling they will end up watching either a documentary on the animal channel or Game of Thrones. He doesn’t really care what they watch though as long as he gets to be with Jared. They may not have been together long, but he has never felt so comfortable before in his life and luckily for him, Misha is also happy in his relationship with Vicky and so he is often out of the house and over at her place. Jensen loves Misha but sometimes 3 really is a crowd, especially when he just wants to snuggle with his boyfriend without feeling like his friend is laughing at him about how much of a love sick puppy he is. 

If someone had told him just how different his life would be, he would have called them an idiot and told them to stop messing around. He is a quiet farm boy, he always has been and up until he met Jared, he had thought that he always would be. Now though, he feel like something has changed. He feels like suddenly he has been taken out of his small pond and thrown into the deep depth of the ocean, he can either sink or swim. If he’s honest with himself, then he feels that the only way he can swim is if Jared is there swimming alongside him. If Jared is there then he knows he will be ok, even if the odd shark does come along. Right now they may be in dangerous water with momma Padalecki on the prowl, but he knows they will be ok, they have to be. 

“Hey there my beautiful ladies, don’t worry daddy didn’t forget about you, I’ve got some food for you right here. I even threw in some corn this time as I know how much you girls like it.”

There really is something nice about just being outside with his chickens. It’s almost peaceful, even with the sound of squawking filling the air. Being a farmer is all Jensen has ever known. It’s what he’s good at. He can’t help but worry that maybe he isn’t good enough for Jared. Maybe he can’t do anything but be a farmer. Standing here watching his chickens peck at the food at their feet was always something that filled him with a sense of purpose and calmness, this time though, its giving him a chance to just detach from this new and scary world and to contemplate what is actually happening. Before he can get too deep into his own thoughts though, he feels strong arms wrap around his waist from behind. Some people might jump at this, he didn’t though, no, he leans into the embrace. His head tilting to one side as he does it. Soft lips press gently to his neck. A trail of kisses go from his collar bone up to his ear. The only sound he makes is an almost silent moan of pleasure. How could he have ever doubted that this man was made for him.

“I won’t let you fall Jensen.”

It’s as if Jared can see into Jensen’s mind. As if he can actually hear his thoughts and his inner most fears.

“You are everything that I have been missing in my life and we will get through this trip and everything else, together.”

That’s all Jensen needs really. He just needed to hear that he isn’t alone. He knows he was over thinking things and letting his insecurities rise to the surface. Jared is even capable of saving Jensen from himself and that truly is a quality that no one has ever had before. 

“Let’s go back inside, I found this great program for us to watch, it’s about 2 brothers who drive around America saving people for all sorts of things.”

Jensen has to admit, that actually sounds pretty good.

“Sure, lead the way.”

Jared shook his head and took Jensen’s hand in his own.

“How about we walk in together instead.”

And with that they strode back to the house hand in hand, both smiling at how lucky they are to have found one and other.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not abandoned this fic, it's just been so hard to find the motivation to write lately and I have been so busy. I hate keeping people waiting though, so I am so very sorry about that.

“That was amazing” Jared moans as he slumps back deeper into the sofa besides Jensen.

“I swear to god, if you undo your pants then we are breaking up.” 

Jared knows that Jensen is only teasing him but he still avoids the urge to pop open the top button, just in case. He does however, snuggle in a bit closer to the other man. Both men are happily watching an angel in a trench coat try to figure out the real world, when Jared’s phone rings noisily in his pocket. It’s his mother. He has half a mind to just reject the call, but then she might just turn up unannounced instead and spoil their evening. With an apologetic look at Jensen, he answers the phone.

“Mother…..what.....tomorrow.....wait…..um…..but….why……he’s important to me that’s why…..fine….I said fine. See you then.”

It’s obvious to Jensen that Jared was definitely more than a little irritated now. Sharon had that effect on her son quite often. Surprisingly Jensen doesn’t need to ask Jared what the call was about because Jared automatically volunteers the information.

“I’m going to dinner with my mother tomorrow. I want you to come but apparently it’s important that we spend some quality time together, whatever that means.”

This made Jensen feel a bit nervous. He knows that Sharon is far from ok with him seeing her son and he hates the idea of her talking Jared into leaving him, but then he can’t seem unreasonable and clingy. She is Jared’s mother after all. It shouldn’t be surprising that she wants to spend time with her son alone.

. . . . . . . . . . 

Of all of the places in Austin that his mother could have chosen to eat at, she chose to book a table at none other than Jared’s own restaurant. He can eat here for free anytime he chooses to. When he goes out for dinner he likes to take the opportunity to experience what the competition have on offer. As soon as he steps foot inside though, it all becomes completely clear to him. She wants to show him off…yet again. He should have expected her to do something ridiculous like this, but he had chosen to give her the benefit of the doubt, big mistake that was. It’s too late to back out now, mostly because she has already seen him, but if needs be, he is not above sprinting for the door at a second’s notice.   
After a brief moment to compose himself, he stands up straight and heads towards what was supposed to be a table for two. 

“Jared, glad you can finally join us. This is Fiona, I’m sure you remember her, but then who could forget someone so beautiful.”

The women, Fiona he presumes, blushes at the attention and glances up through her lashes at Jared.

“No, can’t say I do.”

He wouldn’t normally be so rude or so blunt, but he has no time for his mother’s silly little games and he doubts Fiona is here by coincidence. 

“Jared!” 

Sharon fixes her son with a stare that basically screams be polite or else. 

“Of course you do, she’s Luke’s nephew.”

“Nope, still not ringing any bells, also who’s Luke?”

Both women are staring at him now, their mouths open in shock. It would seem that to not know either Fiona of her uncle Luke is a total scandal in their eyes. Jared just shrugs and takes his seat at the now slightly overcrowded table. Something is definitely going on.

“Well, um, I suppose it’s only a matter of time before you meet Luke and I am sure that once you do it will all come flooding back.”

Jared doubts that very much, but then it occurs to him, why will he be meeting Luke? Before he can raise the question though, Fiona has placed her delicate hand on top of his and is gazing at him lovingly. The entire situation is taking a very wrong turn in his eyes. The next thing he knows he is almost blinded by a camera flash. He has to get away, this whole situation is a trap. He goes to stand when his face his grabbed by two small hands and the next thing he knows a mouth is forced against his own. The camera flash happens again and it’s as if his entire world is crumbling. 

“Get off me!”

Jared manages to scramble away from Fiona and his mother and rushes towards the exit of his restaurant. How could he have been so foolish? It’s going to be all over the papers, no doubt with his mother’s words accompanying the images. All of it lies in order to get rid of Jensen and repair what his mother considers to be her son’s broken sexuality. He has to get to Jensen and make him see the truth before it’s too late.

. . . . . . . . . .

Jensen’s phone buzzes in his pocket. It’s Sharon Padalecki, but how on earth did she get a hold of his number. At least it’s not a phone call. He opens the message and instantly he is faced with a picture of Jared kissing a mystery women on the lips! Before panic takes hold though, he hears the door slam open and Jared crying out his name.

“Jensen! I’ve got to talk to you, Jensen, Jensen!”

It can’t be true? He has to let Jared explain. It wouldn’t happen again, surely. Jared wouldn’t cheat on him, he feels so much trust towards the other man. He just needs to take a deep breath and face the situation head on. Placing his phone back into his pocket, he walks towards the sound of the commotion. As soon as he lays eyes on Jared, he can tell that something is definitely wrong.

“Jensen! I’ve made a big mistake, I shouldn’t have gone, it was a trap, I swear I didn’t want to, I didn’t know she was going to be there or the cameras. Please tell me I haven’t ruined   
it all. Please Jensen.”

Jared is sobbing, his fists balled up in his hair. Panic clear on his face. Jensen can tell that Jared has done nothing wrong. An intentionally guilty man doesn’t look this distraught. Jensen walks towards Jared and guides him over to the sofa.

“Jared, calm down and tell me exactly what happened, ok?”

Jared manages to turn down his sobbing and explain the entire situation to Jensen. It’s obvious how angry Jared is at his mother and Jensen can’t see a way back for the mother and son relationship now. He also doesn’t blame Jared though, what Sharon did was totally out of order. She tricked her own son and now he is going to be faced with whatever awful things the media comes up with to go alongside the photographs. Once Jared has regaled his story, Jensen shows him the photograph on his phone and lets Jared know that it was from him mother. He knew that it wouldn’t help the situation, but he feels it is important to be open and honest about all aspects of it. 

“Please don’t leave me Jensen, I’m so sorry.”

“Leave you? Why would I leave you? She tricked you Jared, it’s not your fault. I’m not going anywhere. I love you remember, you big dumb moose.”

That brings a small smile to Jared’s face, but his eyes remain full of sadness. It’s as if he is grieving for the loss of his mother, they never had a great relationship, but now they don’t have one at all. It’s clear that he and Jensen love each other and maybe that is all they need. It’s as if everything clicked into place in Jared’s mind at that very moment. He loved Jensen more than anything in this world or the next. He can’t imagine spending eternity with anyone else but him. Maybe it’s too soon to ask, but he can’t stop the words from coming out. 

 

“Marry me, Jensen.”


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it has been so long. I have just had so much to deal with at the moment, its been unreal. I have not abandoned this fic though and I promise it will eventually get finished, it is just taking a little longer than expected. I am contemplating writing a second one after this but maybe making it mpreg, what do you think? It would be a continuation of this one but also a stand alone story so that if people don't like mpreg then they can avoid it.

“What?”

Jensen is stunned, did he actually just hear Jared right?

“Marry me.”

There he goes again. There is definitely no denying what words just left his boyfriend’s mouth. He doesn’t know what to say. Sure he can’t imagine his life with anyone other than the overly tall man, but is it too soon to get engaged and part of him feels as though Jared is asking for all of the wrong reasons. Has he even thought it through himself? What if Jensen says yes and then Jared instantly regrets asking, what then? But if he has thought it though and is serious and Jensen says no, what will that mean for their relationship? Jensen has never been proposed to before, he doesn’t know how it works, is it a case of get engaged or break up or is there some unknown third option that people simply do not speak of? 

“Jared, I, um, I…I need some air.”

Before Jared has a chance to react Jensen has spun on his heels and is out of the house within seconds. He knows that had he looked back he would have seen a broken man staring after him, a look of hopeless confusion on his face. He only needs a few minutes to think though. Surely Jared will understand. There is just so much stuff buzzing around in his head right now. He had to get some distance between himself and the man he loves in order to try and think a bit more clearly, rationally even.   
Jensen makes his way over to his usual spot for thinking and settles down beside his chickens, his back resting against their coop. Most people would want some silence in a situation such as this, but Jensen isn’t most people. He prefers listening to the scratching noises coming from the chicken’s claws on their little wooden ramp and the pecking sound as they pick at whatever remnants of food lay scattered about. 

“What should I do?”

He isn’t really talking to anyone in particular, but in a way he is talking to his favourite girls. At least that’s what he tells people when they occasionally overhear him. He would much rather be considered a crazy person who talks to his chickens, than a crazy person who talks to themselves. Anyway, it’s only really Misha that ever catches him in the act and well, he knows Jensen and he doesn’t judge. 

“I love Jared, god I love him so much. But marriage, isn’t it too soon for all of that? What if he doesn’t really mean it and then we go through with it all and he regrets it every morning when he wakes up beside me? What should I do?”

. . . . . . . . . . 

“Jared, I, um, I…I need some air.”

Before Jared can say or do anything to stop Jensen, the man he just proposed to is already away and out of the back door. He is a little stunned to say anything anyway, but still, that was definitely not the reaction he had been expecting. He had hoped that Jensen would burst into a huge smile and jump into his arms while screaming yes over and over again. He had considered the possibility that Jensen might say no. Jared isn’t stupid, he knows it might be too soon to ask such a question, but it just feels right to him. He loves Jensen. What should he do now though? He needs to talk to the older man, find out what’s going on in his head now. He needs to know where he stands because if he doesn’t, then he can’t go on with his life. His heart is simply too invested to just walk away untarnished.

Jared makes his way over to the door to the back yard, but just before going out it occurs to him that maybe Jensen needs space for a minute. Maybe he needs some time to think it all through. Jared is hanging on tender hooks, but surely he can muster up a shred of patience in this situation. Maybe if he just waits on the step by the door. Yeah, that’s what he   
will do. 

As he settles himself down on the cold stone of the step, he realises that he can hear someone talking. As his ears focus in on the sound, he realises that it’s not just anyone talking, it’s Jensen, but who would he be talking to out hear? Jared knows that he shouldn’t be listening in, but he just can’t help himself. When he hears Jensen worrying about how he feels Jared may regret asking and such like, he just can’t take it anymore. He needs to let Jensen know that he would be the happiest man in the world getting to wake up next to Jensen every morning. He was going to keep quiet and just wait for Jensen to walk back up towards the house, but now he is on his feet and walking in the direction of the velvety voice. 

“Jensen?”

The sound of his name startles Jensen and within seconds he is on his feet and facing his boyfriend. The faint glistening of a tear on his cheek. Rather than saying anything else, Jared just closes the gap between them and pulls Jensen into his arms, his mouth next to the farmer’s ear. In his most tender tone, he attempts to prove his love to the man in his arms. 

“Jensen Ross Ackles, I have never met anyone quite like you before and I fear that if I were to let you go, well, then I would never meet anyone the same again.”

Jensen contemplates protesting but it just feels so right being in the arms of the man he adores and so he decides to stay quiet and just let the words wash over him.

“It’s as though I were blind until I met you and now I can see all of the colours in the world. I can see all of the beauty that life has to offer. I can see you and without you everything would merely be shades of grey. I have never loved anyone like this before and I know in my bones that I will never love anyone this much again. You are it for me, Jensen and I promise, for as long as you will have me, I will spend every day making sure you know just how wonderful you are and just how much I love you.” 

How could Jensen have ever doubted him? Everything that Jared just said, Jensen feels inside. Their souls are connected now and he knows, without a doubt, that if they were ever torn apart then they would cease to exist. Jensen never expected to feel this way about anyone, especially not the celebrity chef who he assumed was just full of himself. He couldn’t have been more wrong though. Jared is his other half, his missing piece. Some people might struggle for a response to such beautiful words, but not Jensen, he knows exactly what to say.

 

“Yes.”


	23. Twenty three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry its been awhile. Quick side note, i've dyed my hair blonde from brunette and its not gone well, but the dye had bleach and ammonia in it. How long should I wait before I can dye it again, I'm thinking a gingery brown colour? I feel super self conscious with my messed up hair and i've got work tomorrow.

“Yes, as in…”

“As in, yes I will marry you.”

Jensen doesn’t think it’s possible for someone to smile so widely, but Jared’s face looks as though it might actually split in two. He has never seen someone look so happy before in his life. Before he has much of a chance to take in the magnificence that is Jared’s joy, Jensen finds himself caught up in a massive hug and being spun around before his lips are united with that of the younger mans. He can practically feel the happiness pumping through his veins. He never thought that this would ever happen to him. Not to Jensen Ackles, the small town farm boy who talks to his chickens. To his surprise though, he has managed to get himself caught up in his very own little fairy-tale love story. 

“I love you so much Jared soon to be Ackles.”

Jared would jump for joy at that statement…if it hadn’t ended up with the word Ackles.

“Hold on a second. I proposed to you Mr soon to be a Padalecki.”

Both men just stare at each other for a minute. Neither of them have ever given much thought to the idea of their last names changing. And by much thought, they have literally given it no thought what so ever. They have always assumed that whoever they married would take their surname. They like their names, they are used to them. The idea of no longer being called Padalecki or Ackles scares them a little bit. 

“We can’t both change our name though.”

Jared is right and Jensen knows it. He also knows that he is probably supposed to be the one to change his name since Jared has proposed to him after all, but Jensen Padalecki, really? He likes his name, it suits him. Then it struck him, the best idea he feels that he has ever had.

“How about we combine our names?”

Combine the names? Jared can’t help but feel slightly confused at that suggestion. He cannot think of any good or viable combinations of Ackles and Padalecki.

“Combine them? As in Packles or Ackalecki?”

Seriously Jared, Jensen loves the big goof ball but that is definitely not what he meant. 

“Packles, really Jared? Jensen and Jared Packles?”

Now Jared feels really silly. Of course Jensen didn’t meant that.

“I guess when you put it like that…”

“I meant combine as in link them, yano like, Ackles-Padalecki…”

“Or Padalecki-Ackles.”

Jared had to chime in with that suggestion, even if he is only attempting to wind his now fiancé up. He can’t resist smiling at the adorable pout forming on Jensen’s lips though, so he pulls the man in for a passionate kiss.

“We can sort all of that out later, right now all that matters is that you said yes to being my husband.”

Jared is a total soppy goof ball but Jensen can’t help but love him even more because of that quality.

“So are you going to take me out to celebrate or what?”

. . . . . . . . . .

Gen can’t believe her eyes. She knows how Jared feels about Jensen and so why is she now staring down at a full page image of him kissing a girl, or well a girl kissing him. She also knows he is loyal to a fault. He wouldn’t do this to anyone. She needs to get to the bottom of this right now because if she is questioning it, then she sure as hell knows that other people will be to. She has no other option but to ring him.

“Howdy Gen, what can I do you for?”

“Is this true?”

“Is what true?”

“You and this…this women!”

Gen could almost hear the sound of Jared’s heart drop. He must have been expecting this but it still hit him hard.

“It was my mother’s fault.”

Jared has told Gen all about his mother and so she knows already that if she is involved then it’s never good and it’s never his fault. She plays games and he is simply too trusting.

“Oh honey. Do you want me to come over, I could bring pizza?”

“That sounds great…but, well, I’m already here.”

Just as he said the last part Gen turned around and was face to face with the man himself. She couldn’t stop herself from flinging her arms around him. She may only be a tiny bit   
older and a whole lot shorter, but she really does mother him sometimes. It’s just as she is about to bury her face in his shirt that she notices he isn’t alone. 

“Hey Gen.”

Jensen greets her with a small wave, but she is having none of that, whether he likes it or not, she is a hugger and so within seconds of leaving Jared’s embrace she is clinging to Jensen like a spider monkey. Once they finally part she starts with her condolences.

“I am so sorry you two. It’s not fair that you have to put up with that women!”

Both men just look at each other as if they have something important that they want to say.

“What? What is it guys?”

“We didn’t actually come here to discuss the abysmal behaviour of my mom. We came here to celebrate.”

“Celebrate?”

Gen couldn’t for the life of her see anything that they would want to celebrate right now. They were going to be harassed by the media once again. It was Jensen’s turn to talk.

“Do you want to tell her or should I?”

“I’ll let you my gorgeous fiancé do the honours.”

Jensen should have seen that sneaky little remark coming. Surprisingly though, it wasn’t clear is Gen had caught on to it or not. Maybe if they waited for a moment it would sink in.

“Wait, FIANCE?! Oh my GOD!”

There you go.

“Yep, I proposed earlier and now we want to celebrate. I want a little bit of time to just enjoy ourselves before we have to deal with all of this.”

“Well I am really happy for you two. You deserve so many wonderful things in life.”

Gen really is an amazing person and the best friend Jared could ever ask for. He really does just want some time to celebrate and enjoy himself, but he knows that sadly sooner rather than later, he will have to face what his mother has done and deal with it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for how long it has been since I last updated this and now that I have I am sorry that it is such a short update. I recently started my masters degree and with working, tutoring and studying I just haven't got much time left for writing what I want. I hope its not a totally awful chapter though.

They both knew it would the next big story, they had expected the magazines to spin the photo and turn it into a massive cheating scandal but they weren’t going to let it get to them. They knew the truth. They had two ideas for how to handle it, they were either going to ride it out or they were going to face it head on and reveal the truth. They decided the best way to move forward was to give an exclusive interview and tell all. Jared knew exactly who to call.

“Gina, hi, thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“Jared, darling, this is a huge scoop for me, I should be thanking you.”

Gina was a colourful character to say the least but she wasn’t all bad, not really. Sure she would do anything for a hot story though. Once she was caught hanging upside down in a tree outside Nicole Kidman’s house. 

“If you follow me there is someone I would like you to meet.”

“Ooh I’m intrigued, is this the little number from those shocking photographs?”

Just as Gina finishes asking her question Jensen steps from around the corner.

“Oh my, now this is juicy, are you two giving it another go?”

Jared walks over to Jensen, kisses him on the cheek and wraps his arms around him from behind, his head fitting perfectly into the space between Jensen’s shoulder and his head. 

“We are still giving it the first go. Those pictures were fake, I didn’t know what was going on and if the photographer had stuck around then he would have captured the moment when I pushed her away and stood up to my mother, the women who caused all of this.”

“Do you mind if we go and sit down somewhere more comfortable and then I can record a proper interview. It sounds like you have a lot that you would like to say Jared.”

This time it was Jensen’s turn to speak.

“We do have a lot to say, yes.”

The three of them made their way into the living room and Gina set up her recording equipment and got herself settled ready to start. She briefly filled them in on what was going to happen next and then they started the interview. Of course Gina had prepared some questions beforehand but none of them were right now as she hadn’t been expecting Jensen to still be in the picture. 

“So Jared, who was the women you were kissing in the pictures?”

“Her name is Fiona and she has something to do with my mother, also, for the record, she kissed me, I had no say in the matter.”

“How does your mother fit into this, her names Sharon, right?”

“Right, well my mother asked me to join her for dinner and I reluctantly accepted. At the time I thought it was just going to be just the two of us, but when I got there, Fiona was sitting at the table as well. My mother had planned it all, she was even the one who tipped off the photographer.”

“How shocking! What was her plan exactly?”

“My mother doesn’t like the fact that I am gay, she has always tried to control my love life and my career. Me falling in love with Jensen wasn’t part of her plan for me. She thought it would be a great idea to make it look as though I was cheating on Jensen by having Fiona force herself on me. The fact that it would be me kissing a women was her way of killing two birds with one stone. She planned on, in her words, fixing my sexuality, while also destroying my relationship. She didn’t factor in that Jensen is a nice and trusting guy who loves me though.”

“Wow, so are you saying your mother is homophobic then?”

Normally Jared would try to back track and avoid dragging his family through the mud, but not anymore, his mother had gone too far and he isn’t going to hide it anymore.

“Yes, yes I am.”

Jensen can’t stand Sharon but he knows that she brought Jared into the world and so for that, he can’t totally hate her. 

“Jared, honey, she’s still your mother.”

“I know Jen, I can’t change that but I won’t have anything more to do with her. You are my family now and I love you.”

“I love you to.”

Gina looks as though she is going to burst with excitement at their display of affection towards one and other.

“This is just too precious. How did you feel though Jensen, when you saw the pictures?”

“I already knew what had happened, Jared came and told me straight away, he was completely distraught. I trust him though, I know he would never do anything to hurt me and   
that’s why I said yes.”

“Said yes? Said yes to what?”

“Well Gina, that’s the other reason we asked you to come over. I asked Jensen to marry me and he said yes.”

That was the final straw, Gina was ecstatic. Not only has she gotten the dirt on Jared’s mommy issues but she also has the exclusive for the engagement announcement!

“Congratulations! This is wonderful news. Please, you have to let me do an exclusive on your engagement, we could do a couples photoshoot and everything.”

Surprisingly it was Jensen who shrugged and agreed to what Gina wanted. He had decided at some point to just sit back and accept what happens from now on. As long as he has Jared he knows he will be the happiest man alive.


End file.
